Morning Calls for a Certain Part Veela
by linking
Summary: 15 years-old Victoire Weasley was a top-student, a member of one of the largest and most famous families of all time, as well as being as beautiful as humanly-or not-possible. But then why was it so hard to find the right guy? Review, please.
1. Chapitre Un

**Hooray, my first romantic fanfic.**

**Disclaimer: As usual, everything is the property of J.K.Rowling.**

**Most of the family tree is kept as it is, with the exception of Catherine Weasley, because Molly or Lucy just weren't the right names.**

* * *

"Remind me again why exactly do I talk to you?"

"I'm your cousin."

"Oh right. Sod off, will you please? He is not coming across the room to talk to me."

"Vic…"

"Theri, in Merlin's name, no."

"Vic…"

"Nope, can't hear you."

"Vic…"

"Still can't hear you."

"Victoire?"

I spun around in my chair. Randall Roberts stood behind me, looking painfully handsome even in his uniform. Goodness, it really should be made an official crime for him to gel his hair. I felt sinful just looking at him. Merlin bless me, I hoped my ticket to heaven won't be denied because of this guy. Oh, here I go again. Of all things, he had made me forget that I was an atheist. I was in this hole much deeper than I thought.

"Er, ahem, I mean, yes?"

Rand Roberts was a fraction of an inch away from true paradise. His eyes seemed all different shades of blue at once. It really depended on the lighting and the angle of his face. Not that I purposely observed and took notes and sketched his face and carved his initials everywhere or anything like that. No, I just...well, let's just say I simply like to lay back and enjoy the view. His hair was a slightly curly mass of brown perfection, brightened with streaks of dirty blond here and there. Now, under the sunlight, that's a totally different business, but of course I wouldn't know that, seeing as I didn't stare.

No, really.

"You sort of left your essay in Potions. You know, you were the class before me, and so I thought I would just…" his voice trailed off and he (out of godly kindness) gave me a small grin and handed me my small roll of parchment.

It took an extra second to register his words, the sound of his voice alone just—_my potions essay?_

"Oh, right, thanks," I quickly snatched the parchment out of his hands and turned around. I could feel him linger for a moment behind me before heading to the other corner of the common room.

"What was that about?" Theri inquired. Catherine Weasley, more commonly known as Theri, was the daughter of my Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey and was almost three months younger than me. I guess she's sort of my best friend, since we come from the same family and we're in the same house and the same dorm room and all. There were also Caitlyn Bristow and Haley Chiu, who were also in Gryffindor and shared our dormitory. I suppose we were a sort of quartet, but not in a super-tight, wax-enclosed, tiny circle sort of way.

"My potions paper," I said hoarsely. "I only got an E on it."

"Oh, Vic," sighed Caitlyn, hidden behind the armchair Theri was in. "I'm dreadfully sorry that Exceeds Expectations fell short of your expectations, my dear. Rest in peace, will you?"

"Shut up, what if he thinks I'm some thick moron of a girl, the classic persona of a blonde joke?"

"Merlin's hat, you're an O student and everyone knows it," Theri wailed.

"You're the prefect."

"Hel-lo, I'm the daughter of Percy Weasley. Are you going to sit there and torture me on that fact or let my father murder me?"

"Prefer the latter," a new, male voice interrupted.

"Ted, walk away before I make you wish you did."

Teddy Lupin was our Uncle Harry's godson, though he was pretty much part of the family. He, Theri and I spent the better part of our childhoods together, seeing as Ted's parents had both perished in the Last War and Uncle Harry, as well as every other member of the family, felt obliged to promise him a happy childhood. He was a metamorphmagus, though he currently held his spiky head neon blue and his eyes a light shade of brown. Some girls in my year find him highly attractive, as well as the year above me, and the one above that. To come to think of it, it would not be ridiculous to assume that the years below me enjoyed his looks and supposedly charming manners as well. Ted was, in short, the most popular and desired guy in Gryffindor house.

But let me tell you this, by the time Randall Roberts gets to his seventh year, he would be just that.

"You know you want me here. Or at least Vic does, because when I'm here, pretending I'm trying to get one of you to go out with me, she can get Rand to maybe feel jealous."

I stared at him. What a foul git he was. "First of all, I see no reason in the world why I would want him to feel that way, secondly he wouldn't, and last but not least," I paused for the effect. "If you really want to know, neither of us is interested."

Ted chuckled. "You sure?" He asked ridiculously playfully, reaching for a lock of my silver-blond hair and twirling it with his index finger, his cappuccino eyes flashing.

"Oh, stop that, unless you somehow desire vomit splashed down your robes. Go to bed already."

Ted laughed even louder. He let go of my hair, stood up, stretched, yawned, tipped his chin as a goodnight, and then climbed up the stairs to bed.

"The jerk _knew_ that every pair of female eyes were on him while he was doing all of that," Theri mumbled. "Loathsome. You know, the boys look at you as much as girls look at him. You should honestly put that to your advantage, cousin."

I looked at her coldly.

"You know, I think I'll go to bed, too," Caitlyn announced. "You guys coming? Hale's still off somewhere, probably snogging that Davies in some secret corridor."

"Hear, hear. Be up in a minute," Theri replied. "Hey, Davies's dad's the one your mum went to the Yule Ball with, right?"

"Looking at his son, you can hardly blame her," I said. Peter Davies was a famous Ravenclaw sixth-year, the most renowned Ravenclaw I knew.

"True, well, coming? Or are you doing to kiss Rand goodnight beforehand?"

I glared at her, hard, flat, and hopefully not showing the smile that hid beneath my eyeballs. Oh dear, I think it's infiltrating my optic nerve. Time to look away. "No, but I just might go pull that whole, you know, blond hair blue eyed thing off for Patrick Weaver, if you don't mind."

Patrick and Theri had "fallen apart" a month ago. We both knew that she was not over him, though he was currently chatting in what he apparently deemed a charismatic manner with a honey-blonde a few yards away.

Theri rolled her eyes, mumbled what I should say would be the synonym of "unappreciative illegitimate child-of-a-dog narcissistic backside", and dragged me up to our dorm by the wrist. Boy, anger does make that girl three times stronger physically than she usually is. Forty minutes later, I realized that I had left my potions essay down in the common room again, and slid down there in a plain t-shirt and flannel pants that were my pajamas, hoping the crowd had ceased considerably. Climbing down the stairs as fast as I could with my fluffy slippers (it was November, there's my excuse) without falling flat on my face. My mother had once told me that though she knew people thought she simply glided around without touching ground, and that they feel the same way about me, even people with Veela blood can trip and look completely ungraceful while doing it. I was therefore watching my steps, and was unpleasantly surprised when I collided with a figure that was still uniformed in black robes.

Oh, scratch that. I was so, so, pleasantly surprised.

Hold on. Pajamas? So, so, so, _so_ unpleasantly surprised.

"R-rand!" I choked on the beautiful name.

"Vicky, oh um, ha," believe it or not, we had the cliché trying to go around each other and not succeeding business going on.

"Well, I suppose, um," he took me by the shoulders (my arms were folded despite of myself) and turned me around successfully so I was a step below him. He looked so magnificently tall from down here, I feel like I could just—wait, focus. "Yeah, well, goodnight."

"Yeah, you too."

I continued my longest journey down the stairs yet.

"Wait, er, Victoire?"

And it was going to last even blissfully longer.

"Yes?"

"I, well, kind of picked up your paper again," in his hands was the (dratted, dratted, dratted) piece of parchment I was looking for. I was so completely burning that thing the moment I—focus, focus.

"Oh, goodness," I said dumbly, and took the liberty of ascending a few steps so we were almost on the same step again. I started taking the (stupid, stupid, stupid) parchment out of his fingers, but found that our eyes had locked together. Oh my, could this really be happening? But of course, being me, I had accomplished the mission of taking my (damned, damned, damned) assignment out of his hands before anything particularly romantic had happened. I grinned, and he smiled, and we both tried to climb up the stairs at the exact same moment, which resulted in our bodies pressing amazingly close together.

I gulped, and then prayed my guts out that he hadn't noticed that I did. I looked into his blue eyes, they were dark blue by this light—which was hardly any—and realized a beat later than I should have that this was the perfect situation to land a kiss. Not that I was hoping it was going to happen, because I was most definitely not obsessed with Rand Roberts at all.

But then he had to lean in.

Before I knew it, the only thing crossing my mind was: _who cares_.

I noticed that my breathing became heavier, until I wasn't breathing at all, and that his arm was pressed against the wall behind me (how did it get there?), and that I could almost feel his lashes brushing against mine, and then somehow…

--

"So, in conclusion, it was the best thing that ever happened to me," I had finally finished in telling my long tale of my ten minutes trip of going halfway down the stairs and getting back up. "And he said, 'see you around', so that surely means, well, you know, that he wants to see me again, from which we could almost presume that, well…"

"He's completely crazy about you as well," said Caitlyn.

"He doesn't think you're a bad kisser at all," added Haley.

"And he wants to go out with you, hold you, love you, and ask you to be there for him for the rest of your lives," concluded Theri.

"No, definitely not," I began, then saw three pairs of eyes glaring at me. "Not the last part," I ended lamely. My three best friends beamed at me.

"We should celebrate," prompted Caitlyn.

"It's a Wednesday," argued Theri.

"Ooh, here comes the prefect, she's gonna get you!" taunted Haley. She shrieked and hopped off my bed as Theri launched herself at her playfully, and the two started playing an incredulously childish, comical, and wild game of chase around the dorm room.

"Oh, stop it, we should go to bed, it's twelve. I'm tired, and though I probably can't fall asleep, at least you three should. We've got Binns tomorrow, if you've forgotten."

This certainly put all of them to their rightful beds.

--

I woke with a start. Theri was shaking me rather violently while struggling into her school robe.

"Get on, you pig. Rise and shine."

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. This was not fair, I'd probably fallen asleep just three hours ago. I pulled open the rest of the draping around my bed and looked out the wide window. At first I thought there was not a bit of cloud in the sky, but then I realized that was because there was not a bit of the sky not covered by clouds.

"Sure is shining out there," I mumbled, sat up, and stretched. Theri left my bedside and went about taming the snakes of her bright red hair.

I managed to pull on my uniform and black robe, gather my books in my bag, and pinning up my hair (though I didn't have transfiguration, you could never know if McGonagall would wind up at the other end of the hallway) without tripping on my own disobedient feet or falling asleep on them. I wasn't much excited by the thought of breakfast; however, if that included a pillow…

"You're blocking the exit, Vic," Caitlyn assisted (pushed) me out of the way of the giant flow of Gryffindors attempting to climb out from the portrait hole. I stumbled slightly and had to lean on a pole in order to appear remotely awake as we waited for Heidi to come out.

"When exactly did you fall asleep last night?" Theri demanded, fingering the top of her head gingerly—she'd had to twist her hair into a tight bun in order to keep it together this morning.

"I don't know, but I don't think I fell asleep at _night_ exactly," I replied, not bothering to stifle my yawn.

"Sorry, sorry, excuse me, morning, you all," Haley tumbled out of the portrait hole. She apparently hadn't had the time to stuff her books into her backpack: she tugged them under her arm, a whole eight bricks of volumes looking threateningly close to cascading right onto her toes. "Theri, you missed a few strands, no, no, more to the left. Caitlyn, your bag's open."

"You're one to talk," Caitlyn retorted, eyeing Haley's portable library under her arms.

Haley waved the comment away, and began shoving her books inside her bag.

The great hall was buzzing with noise by the time we got through the great double doors. We sat ourselves down (I immediately slumped over my plate) and began our breakfast rather hurriedly, for we were a bit behind schedule. I refused the food my friends offered me and persisted on attempting to grab some sleep before Herbology. Goodness know I would not wish to be half-asleep with a roomful of hostile and in many cases, venomous plants that were more like animals if you ask me. Professor Longbottom (Neville when back at home) was a jolly man, and would probably excuse me from a detention, but then again, I might get sprayed with some viscous substance or get bitten by a cranky tulip or lilac of some sort. No, much better to be awake and alert.

"Um, Victoire, could I have a word?"

My body automatically shot up, as I felt a bolt going through me, and I found myself looking up to Rand Roberts.

"Rand, what is it?" I was glad to discover that my speech wasn't penetrated with the usual "er"s and "oh"s as it usually is when I face him.

"Could I have a word…er…I meant…"

"Oh, right," I followed him out the great hall, leaving my remaining friends a nervous look. They all nodded encouragingly and simultaneously, like chipmunk triplets.

"So, I just wanted to, er," his blue eyes were shaded with embarrassment.

"Vic! There you are, come on—" There was a flash of blue, and Teddy Lupin had hooked my arm in his and was literally dragging me up the large staircase. Rand stood at the bottom of it, his eyes wide.

Ted turned around a corner, and turned again so swiftly that it gave me the impression he really had no idea where we were headed.

"Ted!" I shouted, shaking his arm off mine. "What in the name of Merlin's most sleek and shiny top hat was that all about? Couldn't you tell that it was _not_ a good time? Do you possess any common sense at _all_?" I shrieked at him.

"Calm down or you might grow a beak and feathers," he taunted, backing off. Bloody hell, I hate it when he made fun of my ancestry. "It was for your own good, trust me."

"Why?" I folded my arms and glared down at him from my advantageous position at the top of the steps.

"Just…do," was the unsatisfactory reply. Before I could pursue this any further, he'd grabbed me by the shoulders and ordered, "Promise me you won't let Randall Rogers catch you alone today, I'll explain later. But right now, you're about to be late. Run along now."

With a start, I noticed he was right. Giving him one last look of confusion and resentment, I scampered off to the greenhouses. All this had certainly done the job of waking me up.

--

I arrived at Herbology mercifully right on time. Professor Longbottom gave me an amused look and walked up to the front of the greenhouse and began the introductions for today's lesson: a sort of Australian wild honeysuckle, whose leaves' fibers, when added to boiling water, can cure magicked sleep. Professor Longbottom explained the fibers they should look for, and the best way to preserve them. He then demonstrated a complex preservation spell and asked us to grab a partner and get started.

We fell into position with Theri as my usual partner by my side, and Caitlyn and Hale at their customary lab bench opposite us. "So tell us," Theri induced impatiently.

I described the series of events that occurred, and saw frowns that deepened on their faces as my little story progressed. "It seemed like Ted knew what Rand had to say, and didn't want me to hear it," I remarked under my breath, helping Theri pick out a thread from the leaf that was tiny even with the magnifying goggles.

"Or it's something _you_ wouldn't want to hear," mused Haley.

"What could that be?"

"No idea."

"Maybe Ted's jealous?" Caitlyn suggested. There was a pause, and then all four of us started laughing at the idea.

"Maybe…"

"Maybe you can perform the new preservation spell we learned today for me, Miss Weasley," Professor Longbottom tapped Theri's shoulder.

"Oh. Yes, sir…_Conservo Foliparticulus_." A frail yellow mist drifted out from the tip of her wand.

"Not bad for a first try," said the Professor with a small shrug and a smile. "Your goal though, is to create a stronger flow of the mist—and to make sure that it's pinkish orange. Well, some others in the profession argue that it is the other way around, but either way." He wandered away to the next group, deep in his thoughts.

Theri was frowning slightly. "_Conservo Foliparticulus_." She voiced firmly. The mist this time did come in larger amounts, but it was still yellow.

"It says here…emphasis on 'fo' and extra-clear articulation of 't'," I offered, perusing through the textbook. I looked up at the sound of a strong puff of smoke rather than mist bursting out of Caitlyn's wand. I noticed with a start that, behind her shoulder, Rand Rogers was staring at me. Our eyes locked for one awkward moment, and we both looked away. He turned his attention back to his partner, Willis Steward, who had somehow managed to cover himself with turquoise powder, and I forced my eyes to dart back to my book, which looked a hundred times more inviting than before.

For some queer reason that I cannot explain, I followed Ted's wishes. When Professor Longbottom had finished assigning his ten-inch essay and Theri and I had replaced our equipments in their cabinets and turned in our plant fibers in their little preservation-charmed boxes, I hurried out of the greenhouse at top speed. I heard Rand call out my name as I scurried out the door, but for once in my life, didn't stop and turn around.

Ted had _so_ better have a good reason for all this.

--

The day passed with much more being assigned to homework, discussing my future during class (Charms, the best class to talk for there are usually much shouting of spells, as well as occasional involvements of animals and students or Professor Flitwick being sent flying across the room), and avoiding Rand. By dinner, I was exhausted. I ate at top speed, wishing to retreat to the common room as soon as possible. Theri, Hale, and Caitlyn gawked at the speed of my eating, but wishing to extract juicy gossip from my current status, whatever that is, and their own homework load, followed suit. I was proud to say that all four of us were settled in our favorite corner in the common room by seven thirty in the evening.

We set about to our essays and spell-practicing, but soon were engaged in yet another conversation of Rand Rogers and Teddy's odd actions.

"Let's look at this in an analytical fashion," Theri said resolutely. "There can only be good news, or bad news. So Rand kissed you, which adds to good news. Ted grabs you away from him, more likely that point goes to bad news than not. Rand's been looking at you longingly and strangely for the whole day. Where does that take us?"

"I say good news," Caitlyn said. "He can't be that eager to spread bad news, can he?"

"Unless it's something so awful that his morality is making him struggle in keeping it away from Vic," Haley countered.

"Thanks, Hale," I moaned.

"Well, Vic, it can't be that bad. You're so beautiful that there are fan letters sent to our door every day."

I groaned. What she said was true. With more than enough inheritance from my mother, I often gave the impression that I was a Veela when one hadn't had a close look. "Well, it's not like—"

"Vic, there you are," Rand's voice drifted to my ears. "May I have a word?"

I jumped in shock, dripping ink all over my front. I cursed under my breath and parted my robes, annoyed to see that the ink had managed to go through the fabric and blot my gray vest, my gold-and-red Gryffindor tie, as well as my white shirt. Fantastic. "Oh. You know, now's not a great time."

"Please? I've been trying to talk to you all day…" his voiced trailed away.

"Oh, sorry, but I," I caught his magnificently blue eyes. "Er, well, make it quick, I suppose…" He led the way, and I gave my friends a helpless glance before following. We climbed out of the portrait hole and Rand turned to me.

"Listen, I—I'm really sorry about what happened last night. It shouldn't have happened, it was my fault. It was a huge mistake, I know."

Well, that changes things.

I tried to laugh, but my throat somehow reduced that to a whimper of a sort. "I've been dying to apologize," he continued. "The thing is, you're wonderful, and divinely beautiful, but I…I'm sort of, er, with Karishma Smith…the fourth year."

_WHAT? The giggly girl, the daughter of Padma Patil and what's-his-face Smith, the one Uncle Ron told me to stay away from cause her father was a git?_

"It was really recent," he hurried on, probably seeing my face fall. "You couldn't have known. I would love to be with you, you're the dream of a girl, but it's complicated with me…you'd have to wait. I don't know how long. I really like you," he added, as I started to turn away at his last sentence. "I really do, Victoire."

--

"But that's completely bullocks, Vic," Haley argued. "What are you thinking? When guys make promises like these, they never follow it! He's just going to go from girl to girl, moving from one excuse to another, and it's never going to be about _you_."

That was one stab in the heart. "You don't know that…"

"I agree with Hale, Vic. He doesn't sound convincing about this, you deserve to be better than a second," Caitlyn added.

There was the second stab. "But I'm not going to be…"

"Vic, get real. His whole speech proved that he's not going to make you anything official anytime soon. You're just going to be his pretty plaything, on the top of his display shelf, gathering dust!"

There went the third, massive stab.

"I understand your point…"

"Then—"

"What in Merlin's most warm and wooly socks were you thinking?" boomed a voice behind me.

"Ted!"

"I heard already. Yeah, that's right, in the boy's dorm. He's just playing with you here, Victoire Weasley. Get to your senses already!"

"Will all of you listen! I'm not taking this seriously, okay?" I shouted, holding up both hands to stop their quibbling. "I just blanked out, is all. It's not like I'm perfect, I'm human." I directed the last part of my mini-speech towards Ted, then stormed up the stairs to bed.

I sure was tired enough for it.

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**So? Please Review!**


	2. Chapitre Deux

**I'm sorry that anyone should think of the Victoire in my story as one of the Mary Sues on the site. I merely did the story for fun, and didn't expect to be accysed of failing at character-building. I admit I enjoy rebuilding cliches and re-using them for the effect of irony.**

**I'm sorry, too, if you find this story inadequate for your reading.**

* * *

"Vic?"

"_Ted_? This is the _girl's_ dormitory!" I whispered back fiercely, and parted the blinds of my four-poster bed to look at him emerge in an oversized jumper and baggy flannel pants. "Besides, how did you know I was even awake? It's five in the morning."

"You always wake up early if you were upset the night before," he stated matter-of-factly, seating himself on a spare corner of my bed. "Also, you hardly did any homework last night," he put in, as he eyed my spread of parchments and carefully perched ink bottle.

I shrugged. "I had to make a dramatic exit after that speech."

Ted laughed heartily but softly, for fear of waking the others. He pored over my Transfiguration essay and frowned. "I believe you've written transform as translate here," he noted, pointing idly.

"Oh, crap," I started shuffling for my wand, yawning at the same time, which resulted in me sending my ink bottle flying off my bed. Ted caught it, three inches off the ground. Him and his irritatingly well-developed coordination does come in handy at times, I suppose. "Thanks."

"Allow me," he pulled out his wand from his pocket and tapped my parchment. I watched, rubbing my sore eyes, as the words reformed themselves. "You should get some sleep, finish this tomorrow," he said, more as an order than suggestion. "Or, should I say, later today," his eyes drifted to the window, where the sky was growing brighter by the moment.

"Wow," I gasped. "I've never really watched a sunrise, exactly."

"Me neither," he moved closer so we were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, watching the great ball of brightness roll itself up the mountains and clouds.

"Hey, what happened here?" Ted had taken my left hand after an enchanted five minutes, and was looking at a thin cut on the back of my hand that was red with blood. I hadn't even noticed.

"A cut from parchment, most likely."

His thumb brushed the cut gently, so that I could hardly feel the movement. Still holding my hand, he looked up into my eyes. Somehow, I couldn't look away. His eyes were so—sparkly under the fresh sunlight, the coffee brown surface glistening and dancing, and not in the usual teasing way. They were so bright and soft at the same time, they simply drew me in.

"I should get going," he breathed, shaking me back into reality. This was Ted we were talking about here; how can I possibly feel any attraction towards _him_? He let go of my hand, which ached at the loss of his warmth (STOP IT, VICTOIRE WEASLEY). "Good morning, dear Veela," he turned and added with a lopsided grin, before closing the door behind him.

Git.

--

Any odd emotional surges towards Ted were soon forgotten as the day began, which was another one full of avoiding Rand and suffering from the homework load. I swear that the O.W.Ls will be the end of me. I, however, surprised myself by surviving till lunch, my only break of the day since I didn't have any free periods. I was nibbling on a piece of buttered tomato, scratching out sentences on my Charms essay, when Heidi and Theri seated themselves on either side of me. Theri was absorbed in her Transfiguration notebook whilst Haley appeared annoyed. I asked her what was wrong.

"Um, n-nothing, really," she mumbled, looked around nervously, then dumped a generous amount of sausages onto her plate. I shrugged, and then returned to my essay. Ten minutes or so later, she said, "Actually, Vic, there is something." Theri looked up vaguely from behind her notes. "I-I accidentally saw R-Rand, well, snogging Priscilla Macmillan."

"The Hufflepuff?" Theri asked, shock written on her freckled face.

"But, b-but he's dating that Smith girl!" This must have been a huge, huge, mistake.

"Whom he said he was going to dump!" Caitlyn joined on the opposite side of the table.

"Who? What?" My third year cousin, Freddie Weasley popped out from behind Caitlyn.

"Fred—away!" Theri threw a balled piece of parchment at our mischievous younger cousin, who snickered and left.

"I'm sorry, Vic, but I'm sure of it. It must have been him, with the hair and all, and it most definitely wasn't that Karishma Smith, she has brown hair. Macmillan's a red-head."

"Maybe it's just a guy with the same hair, then, if you didn't even see his face," I ingested firmly.

"Well, Pete saw his profile, and agreed—"

"Competing for snogging hideouts, weren't you?" I snapped, harsher than I should have. Haley looked taken aback and hurt, but I couldn't bring myself to apologize. Oh, maybe I will, anyway. "Sorry, Hale, but that's simply impossible!" I moaned exasperatedly. "Doesn't he look like someone who keeps his promises?"

My friends looked at each other thoughtfully, but a pair of voices emerged.

"No."

I looked towards their sources. Teddy and his best friend, Lucas Wood, stood shoulder to shoulder a few paces away from Caitlyn. Teddy wore an I-told-you-so expression, and Lucas was smirking smugly.

"Randall Roberts, Victoire?" Luke said, making me wish to wipe that haughty grin off his face. "You should think bigger."

"If you're talking about you, I think we'll all pass," Theri retorted; the two of them never got along that well.

"Vic, he's no good. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Haley's right. He may seem all gentlemanly and sweet to you girls, but us with the testosterone, we see right through that little foul..."

"Stop right there, you," Caitlyn growled. "Us with the endorphins, we see right through your new interest, your dainty Amelia, who's really nothing but the biggest—"

"Skank, I know."

"That was blunt," I commented, surprised.

"I'm not interested in her," he confessed, shrugging off the comment.

"So you're not any better than Rand," I pointed out triumphantly.

"In that sense," He looked at me grimly. "You're not better than Amelia. At least she knows and admits our 'relationship' is nothing real."

I dived back into the sanctuary of my tomatoes, as Ted and Lucas left, the air of coup hanging about them.

--

"Rand, we should talk," I let out in one breath after twenty minutes of summoning all my courage in the back sofa corner of the common room. He looked startled, and permitted me to lead him to the coldest and abandoned corner of the room, his friends staring after us curiously.

"What is it, Vic?" Cheating or not, his voice still melts me.

"Did you—did you end things with Karishma yet, then?" I stuttered.

"Well, Vic, it's not that simple," he said, scratching his head and avoiding my glare. "She's kind of, um, possessive, I suppose you can say. You know the feeling for sure."

"So, that's a no."

"Sorry."

"Did you..." I was about to ask about Haley's story, but then paused to think if I really wanted to know. Maybe, but what if it was true? No, it can't be. "Did-you-by-any-chance-kiss-Priscilla-Macmillan-in-an-empty-classroom-today-before-lunch?"

Rand looked absolutely stunned. "Of course not!" The weight on my shoulder lifted, and I was able to look up into his clear eyes. "Well," that weight, twice as heavy as before, crashed right back. "She came onto me, but I assure you I told her off immediately, and I mean immediately. How did you...?"

"Never mind," I shot at him woodenly, and slipped away before he could grab me and surely charm me all over like a piece of cheese again.

"You were right," I collapsed onto the couch Haley was sitting in, reading a book. "He blamed her, but how will I ever know?"

"You're coming to your senses," praised the ever-sensible Hale. "Now you just have to cut all the strings so quickly and sharply, he won't even realize it until it happened."

I sighed deeply, and all three of them patted me on the shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so. I think I'll just finish reading this Runes thing and go to bed, actually."

I can't believe this. Ever since boys lost their cooties and started to matter, I've wanted to be with Rand. The other guys I dated were almost just (this may sound harsh, but) substitutes. Yet now, when I really got to be with him, I find out he's potentially the biggest jerk in the wizarding world ever...I really want my bed.

--

"AAAAAHH!"

"Vic, relax, my goodness."

"You've got to stop coming here, you creepy stalker!"

"I'm not a stalker, I just heard from Luke about what happened."

"Firstly, why can't we discuss this downstairs at a normal hour? Secondly, how in Merlin's name did Wood know? Thirdly, I don't want to talk."

"Firstly, you're the one who doesn't have free periods. Secondly, I actually have no idea how he knew, and thirdly, it doesn't matter what you want."

I lowered my head and turned away. "You're right on that one."

Ted walked to the other side of my bed so that he could face me. "I didn't mean it that way, Vic."

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "What time is it?"

"You'll be getting up in about thirty minutes. But you went to bed so early anyway."

I sighed. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. "Ted, I'm fine. Get your Head Boy buttocks off my premises now? I'll end things with him, even though there's hardly anything to end, really."

Ted's eyes softened. "I'm not being possessive or overprotective or anything, you know. Nor am I stalking you. I'm just saying you can talk to me. I know how obsessive you were about him."

"I was _not_ obsessed!"

"Yeah, right."

"I was _NOT—_"

"AAAAAHH!" Theri's brown eyes were peering out of her blinds on the bed next to mine.

"Catherine, relax. It's just me, Teddy, the one you used to take baths with when we were toddlers."

"Well, we're not in preschool now! Get out! How did you get in here? This is the girl's dorm!"

"Really? I didn't notice," Ted rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Lower your voice, or you'll wake the rest."

"Out!"

"Good morning to you too," Ted grumbled, stood up from my bed (he looked strangely tall from down here), and strode out of the door with emphasized leisure.

"Vic! How long has he been doing this?" Theri demanded, her blinds pulled open now to reveal her tussled red hair and her ancient teddy bear named Teddy (the name was actually meaningful in her case).

"Chill, Theri, it's just the second time. Stop looking at me like that, it's not like I _invited_ him."

"You didn't object, either, it seemed," her eyes glistened not with anger, but with interest now.

"_What_? I do not like Ted, if that's what you're implying. In fact, that's probably the worst pairing you've ever came up with. I love Ted as much as you do, unless you happen to carry a secret romantic passion for him that I never knew of."

"No, that's not what I'm saying..."

"What's with the racket?" Caitlyn had awoken.

I let out "House-elf" as Theri said "Nothing".

"What?"

I mumbled "Nothing", as Theri returned "House-elf".

"Sure, you two," Caitlyn hopped off her bed. "Merlin, we're up early."

We woke Hale, got dressed, and climbed down the spiral staircase (which brought back stinging memories) to a welcoming Saturday morning.

After lunch, Haley and Caitlyn decided to set of for Hogsmeade, but Theri and I decided to ditch the Hogsmeade trip for the library for some catching up on homework. Four hours or so later, we emerged from the unnatural silence of the library, and Theri suggested we join our other friends before sundown.

"Nah," I refused with a small, forced laugh. "I honestly don't want to risk running into Rand and one of his many, many girlfriends. You should go," I cut in, as she began to offer to stay with me. "After all, you really need some new ink bottles...or learn to start shortening your essays."

"You write them just as long!" she protested, but followed my wishes anyway.

That left me utterly alone in the common room, with the exception of a few first and second-years. I began to read a new novel I had bought in Hogsmeade a month ago, but never read: _Dusk: a Tale of Thestrals. _I was still only on the first chapter when someone popped themselves down next to me. Ah, guess who? None other than the great Teddy Remus Lupin, of course.

He gave one look at my book. "That's an awful story; the main character gets savagely ripped into seven pieces and eaten by the Thestrals who raised him in the end."

I looked down, shocked, at the book in my hands with the beautiful cover of dark mountains and gold-trimmed print. "Thanks for letting me find out on my own."

"Trust me, it's gruesome. All the figurative language usage...gave me nightmares for three nights straight."

Who could have guessed that the almighty, ambitious, pretty Head Boy know-it-all had nightmares about a horror story?

"I know what you're thinking, so stop thinking it," Teddy smiled. "Yes, a perfect and ungodly cool guy like me has nightmares, too."

"Well, it appears that I have nightmares about perfect and ungodly cool guys with massive egos like you," I retorted.

"Did you turn into a half-bird and bite his dashing head off?"

"No, but he did bite my head off via the yellow fangs he sprouted along with his gray fur, snout, and claws."

"Gee, Vic, I love you too," Ted said, pulling on a puppy-dog face.

I was about to snap back my response when I froze at the meaning of his words; this was surprising, seeing as we're all basically one huge family who loved each other publicly and without embarrassment. To fill the growing gap of silence between us, I cleared my throat and pretended to continue reading my book. Ted leaned back and rubbed his eyes, and about thirty seconds later said after a long yawn, "Stop pretending to be absorbed over there. Care for a game of wizard chess?"

I protested, but abruptly abandoned my book and turned to Ted and his solid gold chess set (a present from Uncle Harry when he received his first Hogwarts letter) waiting for me at a spare coffee table.

--

"Hey, what's this?" Caitlyn picked up a piece of parchment off the windowsill as we entered our dorm room after dinner.

"Well, is it obviously not a letter addressed to Victoire Weasley?" Hale pointed out, sticking a finger at my name written on the folded parchment.

"Who's it from?" asked Caitlyn as I unfolded the paper and started reading.

"It's an apology letter," I mumbled, looking up at the three faces around me, "from Rand."

Their reaction was predictable: Caitlyn cocked her head and repeated "Rand", Theri rolled her eyes and muttered "Figures, that git", and Hale sighed sophisticatedly and wailed "Don't let him fool you, Vic". I know them all too well by now.

"Look, guys, let's just hear what he has to say here," I cleared my throat importantly and began to read aloud:

"'Vic,

Please don't ignore me. I am truly sorry that I did what I did and hurt you. Believe me, it was the last thing I ever wanted. I realize I am not perfect ("Phhyeah," scoffed Theri), but I'll try to be better for you, as you deserve. Please reply as soon as you can.

With much love,

Rand.'"

"Load of rubbish," concluded Theri, turning away to charm a piece of tissue to be squirrel-shaped and sniffing around.

"Nice spellwork there, Theri," commented Caitlyn, as the tissue squirrel sniffed her finger. "Ow," she jerked her hand away as the squirrel bit her. "How can a napkin have such sharp teeth?"

"Theri's right; now feed that miserable excuse of a letter to the hungry little beast," said Hale, ignoring Caitlyn and tearing the parchment out of my hand, throwing it at the squirrel. The savage little thing began nibbling happily on Rand's note. I extended a hand for it, but seeing Haley's expression, decided otherwise. "You know what he needs right now?"

"What?"

Hale grinned wickedly. "Jealousy; lots and lots of jealousy."

"Tell me you are not telling me to tell someone to tell Rand I'm dating someone I'm not dating just so he would feel bad?"

"Uh-huh."

"Nuh-uh."

"_Uh_-huh."

"Who?"

"Patrick Weaver?"

"No," snapped Theri so fast that we all turned to her and laughed.

"That Ravenclaw guy who used to send chocolates to Vic every week."

"No, he made me gain four pounds," whined Caitlyn.

"The burly Hufflepuff who wrote that most elegant letter."

I scoffed; the guy asked me how to spell "potions" last year. "You think the great baboon wrote that? The owl that delivered it probably did."

"Oh, I know! Lucas Wood!"

"No!" bellowed Theri, looking shocked that she had yelled seconds later.

Haley looked puzzled. "Theri, I know you two never got along too well, but he's not that bad a guy." She turned to me and beamed. "He'll do it for sure."

I pursed my lips. "That'd be so weird...so awkward...I mean, he's Luke..."

But Hale wasn't listening. "He definitely will. I don't see any reason he wouldn't. He's single, and he's best friends with Ted so he'll certainly help."

Theri was sucking her cheek in a bemused fashion, her brown eyes flashing dark disapproval. "I don't like it. This plan is so cliché anyway."

"Oh, cut it, Madame Prefect," said Caitlyn cheerily. "It'll be fun."

Oh, well then I suppose...

--

"I don't like it, it's too cliché."

"Aha! I told you so," Theri shouted triumphantly, bounding away to sit on the arm of Ted's chair.

"Teddy, frankly, it doesn't really matter what you want, it's about Lucas here," Hale put in patiently, turning to Luke with her most charming smile.

Luke seemed to sink into his chair. "Um, I don't, really, uh," he looked at Theri and flinched. "I don't, it's not, well, appropriate, so," he mumbled lamely.

Hale lost her patience. "Don't mind Theri now, it's just a teeny little favor."

"Naw, why me?"

"You're the perfect choice," cooed Caitlyn, fluttering her eyelashes, then cracking up after doing so.

He looked nervously in Theri's direction, met her death glare, and looked at Ted, whose brows were furrowed but shrugged. Theri slapped him hard on the shoulder ("OUCH") and slid off onto the floor, pouting.

"Oh, I..."

"Come on, _please_?"

"Vic?"

"Uh," I hesitated, surprised to be confronted. Caitlyn flicked my arm. "I mean, ouch, please?"

Luke sighed heavily. "Just once."

"How about now?" Haley suggested, looking at the portrait hole. Rand climbed in with a few other guys from our year and Karishma Smith holding his hand. I felt my stomach turn violently.

Lucas moved over and I sat myself nervously in his chair, his side pressing tightly against mine. "This is too weird," I whispered, but Hale and Caitlyn stared at me so commandingly I looked away. Luke draped a stiff arm around my shoulders, and I hesitantly let my head drop onto his shoulder.

"Rand's looking at you," Caitlyn reported. "Laugh and look like you're having fun."

"Ha, ha," I smiled brightly, feeling ridiculous and hilarious as Luke and I fell into a completely fake and cheerful conversation.

"He's staring," Hale said eagerly. "He's ignoring Smith, I think. Kiss her, Luke." She turned at us as we stared confoundedly at her. "Go on."

Luke pecked me on the cheek so fast it kind of hurt.

"That does it, he's coming over."

"He's _what_?"

Indeed he was. "Teddy," he greeted with a tight smile. "Catherine, Haley, Caitlyn," he turned to my chair and his smile tightened even more. "Lucas, Victoire."

"Randall," Lucas greeted breezily.

"Victoire, I was just wondering if you ever received...?"

"Oh, Rand, it's really no big deal," I pulled on my flashiest grin. "There's nothing to discuss. I wasn't really serious about anything anyway."

That caught him off guard. "Oh?"

I giggled uncharacteristically as Luke took the liberty to mime whispering into my ear. "Not really. Anything you need?"

Rand looked crushed, but tried to hide it. No matter how big a jerk, he's still the most beautiful thing. Wait, I'm not allowed to think that anymore. "Nah, have a good evening." He walked away quickly.

"Nice one, Vic," Hale complimented, her eyes dancing after Rand's retreating figure.

"You totally nailed him," agreed Caitlyn.

"I'm famished. Who wants to go to the kitchen?" Theri suggested a tad too enthusiastically.

"We just had dinner," said Caitlyn, as surprised as I was by her strange behavior.

"Stuffy in here, isn't it?" Theri began again, waving the air about her. "Moonlight stroll, anyone?"

"Are you crazy? It's freezing," Hale also seemed to have sensed her oddness.

"I'm actually quite hungry myself," Ted suddenly said.

"Yeah, same here," Luke agreed, unwinding our bodies.

"What?"

With a mist of confusion hanging about us, we headed towards the kitchen with the map Uncle Harry gave Teddy five years ago leading us.

* * *

**Like it? Hate it? Review it!**

_Next time:_

_"Go out with me."_

_"No__."_

* * *


	3. Chapitre Trois

**Here we go, shorter chapter this time. Introducing some Slytherins.  
**

**Of course, I don't own Harry Potter, but you knew that already.**

* * *

"I've said it many times, but I'll say it again," Professor Goodrich practically yelled, waking several students in the back rows who had fallen into a trance. "Transfiguration is a difficult art, and if you wish to even _pass_ your O.W.L, though that doesn't even guarantee a ticket into my N.E.W.T classes, you should at least _concentrate_!" Sparks flew out of her wand, causing students at the front row to shrink back in alarm.

"I realize it is a Friday, and all you lot wish to do is to skip to the weekends, but I must admit I have been astounded by the lack of participation this class has shown today," she continued; by this rate, we'll be getting out of class late. Oh, fantastic. "Sit _up_, Mr. Weaver! And don't look so shocked, mister, seeing as your 'raccoon' seems to still have wings attached to it, as well as six legs."

The class snickered; Patrick Weaver flushed a light shade of pink and smiled sheepishly up at the professor. Goodrich could have been attractive; she was a tall, slim woman in her late thirties with her auburn hair was always held in a tight, neat ponytail and sharp hazel eyes behind thin-rimmed spectacles. We had never been taught by anyone but her, though we knew the Headmistress taught Transfiguration before her.

"...A three foot essay on cross-breed transfiguration," she continued, and ignored the moaning. "Let's see how well you all remember things from the beginning of the year. Then a ten phase sketch of the transformation _most of us_ put our butterflies through today, all due next Tuesday. Class is dismissed, have a productive weekend."

The class of Gryffindor and Slytherin fifth years filed out of the classroom under the Professor's intense glare, most of us moping. Being a fifth year was absolutely insane: five foot essays, detailed sketched charts, three foot Arithmetic worksheets, hundred-page dictionaries to memorize, and most ridiculously, revision essays on everything we'd learned in the past few years. To top all this off, winter's arrival had caused many of us and even more seventh years to adapt a maniacal flu that required a maddeningly gooey and disgusting potion to cure.

"If I didn't know she knows perfectly well what she's doing, I'd say Goodrich's gone nuts," Caitlyn muttered under her breath as we trailed off to Defense.

"Shh, her hearing's amazing," Theri warned. "Besides, I wouldn't want to take points from Gryffindor for contempt against teachers."

"Oh, Catherine, you wouldn't."

"You're right, I wouldn't. But you got to admit Goodrich's got style compared to many others."

"You're just defending her because she dissed Weaver. They say she's just like McGonagall when she used to teach," Haley grinned at Theri's arguments.

"_Have a productive weekend_. That's so her, isn't it?"

"It's as her as 'have a brewin' hot date this Hogsmeade weekend' is Reed after Potions," I said.

"Yeah, and she's a great teacher, I'll give her that," Hale agreed, and Caitlyn nodded. "Oh, no, look who it is."

A group of Slytherins in our class strode by, the trademark smugness hung on to them as always. The group of five consisted of three guys and two girls. None were really worth mentioning, except I suppose Edwena Yule. She's your typical Slytherin: snobbish, vicious, ambitious, and pure-blood. Hear, hear.

"Weasley, Weasley, Chiu, Caitlyn," she greeted, her chin raised high.

"Yule," Haley spat with undisguised disdain.

Edwena never liked the four of us. Well, she probably detested all Gryffindors, but I just meant that she disliked us even more than others. It can only be assumed that this is because we're Weasleys and friends of Weasleys. Edwena was just the type to hate blood-traitors even at a time when blood status hardly mattered anymore. Actually, I was lying. She didn't hate Caitlyn like the rest of us, and she hated Theri and me more than Hale. Caitlyn's dad was an acquaintance of sorts of Edwena's father. Though the latter had disapproved of Caitlyn's dad marrying a muggle-born, they remained in contact. That was the reason why happy-go-lucky Caitlyn was the only one of us who could refrain from moaning inwardly or aloud at the sight of Edwena Yule.

Oddly, Edwena didn't seem to be in a mood to talk any further, and after a haughty nod departed to have a whispered conversation with her Slytherin friends. The four of us gradually fell back to talking as we walked along, but was once again interrupted by one particularly hateful figure with a green serpent embroidered on his school robes.

"Winchcombe," I said, as he was standing directly in front of me and no one else seemed to wish to confront him.

"Weasley," he snickered. "And the lot of you."

"D'you guys hear something?" Theri asked mockingly, pushing past him.

"Go ahead, Weasley. I'm only talking to your cousin."

"And why would you be doing that?"

"Well, none of your bleeding business is why. Get on before old hag Goodrich comes snatching you away, _prefect_."

"Five points from Slytherin for contempt against a faculty member," snapped Theri, glaring up fiercely at him.

Winchcombe looked like he was about to retort something, but thought better of it and turned back to me.

"I heard something about you and Roberts," I stiffened. "Oh, and something else about you and Wood."

"What do you care? I hardly know you," I attempted to go past him as Theri had.

"We both know that's a lie, Blondie," he replied with the usual insufferable snicker on his face.

Winchcombe and I were forced to be partners in Potions in our fist and fourth year. Professor Reed believed in cross-house, cross-gender partnering, and I had the good fortune to end up with Winchcombe. Allow me to say this: He, was, a, jerk. From skin down to core and every fiber in between. I admit he could be funny sometimes, and he could pass for good-looking if not for the ever-present smug smirk and the sly expression he always wore, but he was a true git if I'd ever met one.

Make fun of my looks? Check. "Get out of my way, or I'll gladly turn you into a raccoon and turn in a ten-phase sketch of it."

"Slow down, Gryffindor, or you might trip and fall."

Make fun of my clumsiness? Check. "Speak for yourself, Big Foot."

"You know who's got a big foot? Your beloved cousin Catherine. The last time she stomped on me..."

Make fun of my family? Check. "Do you really wish her to take points off Slytherin for contempt against a prefect and against human pride?"

"Human pride?"

"With that hair, it's enough to take fifteen points off, won't you say?"

"You with Wood or not?"

"No," I folded my arms defensively.

"You with Roberts?"

"No," What did he want, anyway?

"Go out with me."

"_No_." How many times did we have to go through this pathetic joke?

"Ouch, I'm actually serious this time, Weasley." The stupid smirk wasn't there...

The bell rang, and I sprang away to Defense wondering if I should take him seriously or not.

--

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to ask," Theri said suddenly, as we were huddling over the fireplace in the common room, composing our essays on Thestrals. "What did Winchcombe want?"

"Nothing," I replied, a beat too soon.

"Then what took so long?" asked Hale.

"He found out about Rand and the little fraud with Luke."

"How does he know about the thing with Luke?"

"Hey, you guys," Ted's voice drifted over.

"Hey there," Luke joined, sitting down in the empty seat next to Caitlyn. "What are you all up to?"

"Gossiping about you and Vic. Would you care to join us?" Theri answered with mock friendliness before I could utter a word. I turned to gawk at her; there was nothing to gossip about between Luke and me!

"Lose the hostility, Freckles," Luke almost grinned. "That's one thing you _can_ lose, hm?"

You'd think Theri would seethe at being teased about her freckles like always, but she countered easily, "Lose the attitude, Single," she fluttered her lashes purposely. "That's the one thing you _haven't_ lost." Luke did have a reputation of not being able to maintain a relationship over a week.

"That's enough, you two," Teddy waved their exchange away with his hand. "How are all of you? Haven't talked much in the past week."

"Well, we've got the bird and you've got the lizard," I reasoned.

"To be precise, newts are amphibians," Ted smiled, sitting down next to Theri. "Yeah, we've all been busy. And it's freezing, even with warming spells."

That was painfully true. Ironically, Potions was by far the warmest class, even when we're not actually making potions. Professor Reed had dangled balls of magical fire along all the walls of the otherwise glacial dungeon. Rumors claimed that this was precaution against his balding head from frosting. As for Herbology, Professor Longbottom was kind enough to choose Greenhouse four, with the tropical plants, where it was considerably warm. However, the trip from the castle to the greenhouse itself was enough to induce a heavy cold.

"At least the holidays are coming soon," Hale grinned cheerily.

"Are you all going home?" asked Luke, munching on a muffin he took from the tray on the table.

Theri, Ted, and I looked at each other. "Uh-huh," we said in unison. None of us wished to face the wrath of Grandma Weasley or the little ones for not going home.

"Molly!" Theri suddenly roared, standing up from her seat. "Molly Weasley!"

Her third-year sister jumped and looked at her sheepishly. "Yeah?"

"Don't think I can't read your handwriting, you little goblin!" Theri shrieked, dropping the notebook she was holding and began to chase after Molly, who was scurrying out of the portrait hole.

Ted picked up the notebook and read, "'I love Patrick Weaver. He's the sunshine to my cloudy sky, the stars to my gloomy night, and the love of my life. I will do anything just to—' Oh er, how inappropriate."

"Er, do you reckon Molly will be alright?" asked a meek Freddie, who had snuck up on us with my sister Dominique by his side. "I just mean, it was sort of me who dared her to do it..."

--

"Vic! Theri! Dom! Molly! Lucy! Freddie! Ted!" Came the cries of all the young ones as we stepped out of the fireplace one by one.

Roxanne, Lily, and Rose were in the lead, followed by James, Albus, Louis, and Hugo. We took turns to be hugged by them, and then by the adults in the back. We had arrived at the Burrow, which had been refurbished when I first attended Hogwarts to indulge all the new additions to the family. We were examined closely, and were praised for how much we grew and scolded for how "thin" we were.

It was announced later that Uncle Charlie, along with his wife and two children ages ten and seven, were not to be expected from Romania this year. This caused much disappointment, for Uncle Charlie, who dealt with dragons, was incredibly popular among the children. I myself had spent four Christmases away in France with my mum's side of the family, but much preferred the warmth and crowdedness of the Burrow.

"Well, settle in," Grandma Weasley ordered, waving a spatula. "Supper will be served at six."

I always shared a room with Theri, Molly, and Dom. All the children stayed in the "new" addition to the house, which was basically composed of bedrooms. The four of us dropped off our bags, and went to the backyard, where tables were set up for dinner. Dom, Louis, and I went to our parents.

"Louis, put zat down!" Our mother ordered as my first-year brother began fingering a knife on the table. "Eet eez time you got a 'aircut, too," she pondered, running a hand through his red hair.

"_Non_,_ maman_," Louis objected, shrugging her off.

"I could give you a trim, Lou," Dom offered too kindly.

"_Non_, _merci_."

"Aw, _pourquoi pas_?" I asked, also too sweetly.

"Dad, they're doing that female power thing again."

"Cut it out, all of you," said my father, though he was laughing. "How are the preparations for O.W.Ls?" he asked me.

"Exhausting and awful."

"You'll do great, you've always done spectacular," he ensured me.

"But don't forget about your 'ealth," Mum warned, smoothing her silver-blonde hair. "No missing meals or anything like zat."

"_Je sais_, _maman_," I droned.

"Good. 'Ow are zee new classes, Dom?"

"Oh, they're fascinating," Dom beamed. "In Herbology, we got to work with these Mandrakes, like the ones they used to cure Aunt Hermione in—"

"Dinner is served!" Grandma Weasley declared, a series of pots and plates trailing in the air behind her.

We all hurried to our usual seats, I between Theri and Dom, and dug in eagerly at Grandma's magnificent feast. We ate till nine, with candles hanging in mid-air across the table to illuminate our desserts: butterbeer pudding, blackberry shortcakes, chocolate and peanut fudge, cream pies, and honeysuckle tarts. The family, with Teddy and his grandmother, sank in our chairs, looking up at the sky. Earlier that day, my dad had placed a giant magical bubble over the whole backyard and had performed layers of warming spells. This enabled us to have the best of suppers and even stargaze for a bit, but it was not long after that everyone concluded the spells are starting to wear off.

"Time to go inside," Uncle George announced, holding Freddie in a head-lock. Chairs scraped the grass; plates were stacked up with waves of wands, and sent to the kitchen with another. Ted helped with everything, still relatively new to doing magic outside school, and very enthusiastic.

Theri, Ted, and I lay on a couch in the living room, sprawled and sighing after the huge meal.

"Great night," commented Ted.

"I'd almost forgotten how humongous this family is," Theri laughed.

"I'd almost forgotten how full I can be," I put in, which was true.

"Hide me," Uncle Ron appeared, and made us slide apart to squeeze in. "Don't say a word, or Mum will make me de-gnome again. It's sub-zero out there!"

"Grown-ups," I chuckled.

--

"Hey, don't shout."

"Ted?"

"Uh-huh."

"Again?"

"Merry Christmas to you too," he grunted, tossing a present at me.

"Thanks, and happy Christmas to you too, but I thought we pick up presents at the tree," I lifted the wrapped package from my stomach.

"I forgot to owl it," Ted admitted, sitting on the floor next to my bed. Theri stirred next to me. Molly and Dom in the bed across from the rather packed room were still sound asleep.

"Oh, um, thanks for the sincerity."

"You're very welcome."

"Why are you up so early?" I asked, looking at the clock that read a quarter before seven.

"Are you kidding me? It's Christmas morning."

"Aw, baby Teddy wants his presies?"

To my surprise, he simply laughed. "If you have to know, I might've peeked around the tree for my presents on my way here."

"Oh, naughty right after Christmas Eve?"

"Been naughty all my life and still got presents every year," he replied smugly.

I sat up and yawned. "You'd better make yourself scarce before you wake Theri, or worse, let one of the adults see you leave. They're bound to...simulate things."

Teddy cocked his head, a habit of his when he's thinking, trying to look cool, or feigning a disability to understand. "What things?"

I threw my pillow at him; he caught it, grinned, and stood to leave after placing it at the foot of my bed.

"Hold on, even if you forgot to owl it, couldn't you have just, y'know, put it by the tree?"

He shrugged. "If I didn't wake you, you'd be asleep till noon."

"That is not true. I'm an early-ish riser!" His grin widened as he quietly closed the door behind him.

I turned my attention to the present lying in my lap. It was wrapped in lime green paper, and an indigo box surfaced when the paper was removed. I opened the box carefully, wondering if it was some sort of prank. But what it contained made my mouth fall open: a rectangular piece of silver, about a quarter-inch wide and one and a half inch long, with the capitalized letters "VICTOIRE" carved in it. Two droplets of crystal were placed on either side of the letters. A delicate and thin chain was connected to the little piece of art.

"In the name of Merlin's most battered and drool-stained pillowcase," I gasped, taking out the necklace and examining it closely. It was by far the most glorious piece of jewelry I had ever received. Getting out of my trance, I put it on, pulled on a jumper and slippers, and shouted, "Get up, it's Christmas!"

My cousins, sister, and I came out to find the entire family huddled over the Christmas tree, which looked rather small and insignificant in comparison. Theri and I hunted for our presents and took them to the less crowded kitchen to unwrap. From my family, I had obtained _How to Exceed in Your O.W.Ls_ from Uncle Percy, an Avoid-Your-O.W.Ls-Prep kit from Uncle George, a sweater from Grandma Weasley, a Quidditch snow-globe from Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, a dragon key-chain from Uncle Charlie, a mug with a moving drawing of an owl from Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, a scarf from Teddy's grandmother, perfume from Aunt Gabrielle, a leather-bound notebook from my grandparents in France, a pair of golden bracelets from my parents, and a pair of gloves from Dom.

"Oh, yeah," Lou mumbled sheepishly, and chucked what appeared to be special editions of Chocolate Cauldrons with Father Christmases on them to Dom and me.

"Thanks, Lou," Dom echoed my words.

"No Problem."

I moved on to the smaller pile from my friends: a large, luxurious quill from Hale, a neat little pocket-mirror from Caitlyn, and dangly reindeer earrings from Theri. I smiled at her and put them on.

"Vic, when did you get that necklace?" Theri inquired suddenly, as she acknowledged me smile of thanks.

"This morning," I replied simply.

"Fancy," she remarked. "From whom?"

"Ted."

"He gave you _that_? He only got me _these_!" she pointed to her earlobes, where two simple and petite golden globes rested.

"Well, they're very nice, too."

"Yeah, but that's way beyond nice!" she raised her voice. "Oy! Lupin! You're picking favorites here!"

Ted trailed in, waving away her accusation. "No I'm not. By the way, Vic, that's not silver, it's platinum. Anyone care for some cereal?"

"Thanks so much, Ted, it's gorgeous."

"It's nothing much," he said, but I hugged him anyway.

He left with his cereal, and I sat back down to find Theri eyeing me curiously. "Is there something I should know?"

"What? No."

"I'll take your word for it," she said in a tone that stated exactly the opposite.

Oh, dear.

* * *

**Please review, thaaank you.**

_Next time: An argument between Victoire and Ted, with some broomsticks and Bludgers involved_.


	4. Chapitre Quatre

**Nothing much to say, other than the usual (this doesn't belong to me, sound familiar?) things.**

**I hope everyone watched the teaser trailer of Half-Blood Prince! It was pretty interesting.**

* * *

"Y'know, I've been thinking," Theri began the evening after our return to Hogwarts.

"Glad to hear it, seeing as you're writing an essay," I replied absently, trying to portray a fanged palm tree inf words.

"No, I mean about why Ted getting you such an expensive Christmas gift."

I stopped my quill. "Catherine."

She had positively abandoned her work now. "No, no, just listen. Don't you think that since we were kids, Ted's always been closer to you than to me?"

How outrageous. "Uh, no."

"Like, when we used to play house, you'd always be the parents and I'd always be the kid."

"That's 'cause you're the youngest."

"Or I'd be the Fairy Godmother and you two would be the prince and the princess."

"You're the one who always wanted to hold the toy wand."

"And when we had tons of sleepovers around age five to six, you'd always sleep next to him and me on the other side of you."

"Yeah, you were convinced he had cooties."

"Or when we were six and both had 'crushes' on him, he chose you."

"You poured a bucket of water on him to make him say yes to you!"

"So? We were in a pool."

I sighed deeply; Theri had always had a talent of matchmaking for the most unlikely people. "Look, I don't like him in that sense. Neither does he."

Theri resumed to scribbling on her parchment. "Then how do you explain why he steals into our dorm every other day to wake you up?"

"Twice!" I seethed. "Then never again did he—" okay, maybe that wasn't true. "—come to our dorm."

Too late. "What was the pause for?"

"For you're writing a Runes essay, not Potions," I tapped her last sentence with the tip of my quill. "Way to go, Prefect."

Theri cussed under her breath, took out an ink-vanishing eraser, and began correcting her mistake. When we talked again later, it was to discuss with whom Caitlyn was out with and at what time will Hale return from her rendezvous with Davies.

--

"That's all, have a nice evening," Professor Longbottom announced with the usual smile.

It had stopped snowing last night, and feeble rays of sunshine punctured through the clouds and mist to light to snow-covered grounds. Dinner was hardly in sight, and yet the fifth-years were already beginning to wonder why they had not yet collapsed from the workload already. The O.W.Ls were drawing nearer, and even the most indulging of teachers had become merciless. I really could deal with Theri _not_ giving me suggestive looks every time Ted joined our conversations or sat down next to me.

Change of subject: how am I supposed to produce a four foot essay on transforming an animal so that it's composed of body parts and colors of multiple different animals? Why would someone even _do_ such a thing anyway? It's demented, cruel, not to mention perverse—

"Aaah!"

All around me my classmates and friends stared. Deep in my stupid thoughts, I had (very typically, I'm sorry to say) tripped over a step and had my nose hanging approximately two feet above the ground. Breathing heavily, I stood up to thank whoever it was who had caught me just in time.

"Ew, it's you," I turned to leave.

"I was expecting more of a 'thank you for saving my life'," my 'savior' called after me, hurrying to fall in with my quick steps.

I came to an abrupt halt and grinned up at him with fake meekness. "Thank you so much for your kind deed, o good and gentle sire. If you'll please excuse poor little me now," I continued to storm down the hall in long strides, followed by my three best friends.

"The pleasure is all mine, m'lady," I heard Winchcombe reply. I shook my head, furious at myself, and turned a corner with unnecessary sharpness, scraping my left ankle with my right heel in doing so.

"Shi—!" Fortunately, the hallway was loud enough to consume that, since Professor Binns was floating just around the corner. How much more can I make a fool out of myself? I wouldn't think that was even possible.

Oh, maybe it was.

"Hide me, hide me," I said, careful not to make much mouth movement. I ducked swiftly between Theri and Caitlyn, and didn't emerge until ten seconds after Rand had passed. Seriously, how did he end up in the opposite hall anyway? We just came out from the same class! Oh, but then he had a free period next...why do I know this? I'm not supposed to know this!

"I'm so flipping pathetic," I stated miserably.

"That's alright, so am I," Theri comforted.

If I was any less indulged in my own affairs, I would have wondered what she meant by that.

--

"So, you're going to the Quidditch match?" Ted asked me during dinner on Tuesday. "The excuse on homework's not going to work this time."

"Why not? I have more than ever. Besides, I suck at Quidditch..."

"You've hardly played before. And playing Quidditch has nothing to do with watching Quidditch."

"I suck at everything about a broom."

"You've hardly touched one since—"

I pointed my fork in his face. "Don't," I warned.

To tell the truth, I had fallen off a broom that was hanging _still_ in the air a year ago, broke my arm, and became the joke of the week. Ted was right; I hadn't touched a broom since.

"Hey, I could enforce my Head Boy powers and force you to go," he threatened, downing potatoes in a rather disturbing slurp.

"No, you won't. Take points off your own house?"

"Hale's going," he added.

"With Davies."

"Don't you want to watch Caitlyn and Theri play?"

I lay down my fork, rolled my head back and stretched. "Skipped it twice this year, shall skip it thrice."

Ted was cocking his head again. "You could go with..."

"Spare me the torture, Ted. I can't walk without tripping, can't sit without falling, and I can't fly on a broom without falling. That's settled business."

Ted shrugged. "You get good grades."

I shook my head. "I'm no Prefect."

"Aw, Vic, you've got to be kidding me."

"What?"

"Self-pity coming from you?"

I glared hard at him. "You can say that, when you're the perfect one."

"Perfect? I've no parents, no real relationship since ever, and I'm just a miserable wreck intruding on someone else's family."

"Don't bring out the orphan thing," I didn't even know why I was so indignant. "You didn't even inherit anything bad from your parents. Your mum was clumsy, and you've got the fastest reflexes in the school. Your dad was shy, and tell me, Ted, are you shy? My dad was Head Boy, my mum a chosen contestant for the Triwizard Tournament, and let's face it: Head Girl's not going to be me. What's more, do you think _I've_ ever been in a real relationship?"

People around us were looking. None of our other friends were there to stop this; Theri had ran to the library, Haley was with Pete Davies, Caitlyn had detention with Goodrich for turning in homework late, and Luke was at the owlery. Ted and I hardly got into fights. It was usually him and Theri.

"You certainly have enough offers," he was on the verge of shouting. "Who's to blame for the high expectations? You're the godly beautiful part-Veela, and you've even got brains. If you're miserable in any way, it's your own bleeding fault!"

"Beautiful? You're the one who can morph! You can look like anything you want! Not that you need it, Mr. Most-Wanted, do you? We both know how _elegant_ and _charming_ you are, do we not?" I was shrieking at the top of my lungs.

"Excuse me if your body can't refuse the pull of gravity," he bellowed, his face glowing slightly red. "You're just too attention-seeking to admit that your life is in fact fine, so that people will feel that you're so vulnerable and helpless!"

"_Attention-seeking?_ Says the guy with the neon blue hair!"

"Don't judge me," he spat coldly, and, swinging his backpack over his shoulder, stomped out of the Great Hall.

I remained in my seat, dumbstruck, noticing seconds later that almost the whole Great Hall was staring at me. Of course they would. The famous second generation of the Battle heroes, unfolding their drama loudly right in front of their faces. I stood, gathered my belongings, and quickly traced Ted's steps out of the range of their stares.

I didn't really know where I was going, but ended up running up a random spiral staircase to the top of a tower I'd never been to, and sat down, recollecting what had happened. Many had probably called me typical: a blonde who wants to look well as well as do well in school, thinking highly of herself but pretending not to acknowledge her own "perfection". I wasn't that girl. Sure, I was pretty because of my heritage. But I didn't want to be just a pretty-face with absolutely nothing from behind the face to the back of her head. My family, my friends, and I myself had convinced me that I was intellectual and smart, but what if I was just lucky throughout the school years? Maybe I was stupid after all.

I touched the chain on my neck. I had not taken it off since the day I had put it on. The worst part of it was that I knew Ted loved me, and what he said could only have been the truth. Maybe exaggerated due to his anger, but the foundation of truth was there.

This was so _odd._ Ted and I always got along great. Theri was the one known for her fieriness. I wasn't exactly easy-going, but I hardly ever resolved to having raging fights with people. Quarrels, perhaps. And thinking back at the last conversation, the fight started off on practically nothing at all.

I heard footsteps, and looked around to see if there was anywhere to hide. But the stairs merely led up to the top of the tower, which was exposed to anyone coming up the stairs. I sighed, sat back, and decided to go face-to-face with my upcoming humiliation. Maybe it was Theri or Hale or Caitlyn who had heard about the happenings. Or maybe it was Ted? Or, in the worst case scenario, Edwena Yule? Wait, the worst case scenario would be a professor who had heard everything in the Great Hall. Nah, that was unlikely. Well, it would be pretty awful, too, if it was—

"Winchcombe," I groaned.

"Do you really hate me _that _much?"

"Just as much as you hate me." To my dismay, he sat down next to me.

"Not so much, then," he sort of whispered, maybe to himself.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not in the mood to have a mocking contest."

"I'm not here to mock you. I just thought maybe you wanted some company. You weren't that hard to trace; many of the portraits distinctively remember a girl storming around the school."

I sneered. "Not here to mock me, huh?"

He grinned. "Hard to kick the habit."

"What is this? Some sort of prank from Edwena? Make out with her after she was in a fight in front of the entire school?"

"No. Nobody knows I'm here. They think I'm at the hospital wing for a draught for my cold."

"Oh, so it's 'pass a cold to her at her worst moment'."

He grew restless. "C'mon, I come in peace."

"Peace coming from you after five years of antagonism?"

"Antagonism? I must've asked you out two hundred times."

"As jokes," I disputed.

"At first, yeah," he admitted. "But when I had to partner with that awful Mildred Plumber, I kind of missed having you as one."

I studied him. "Honestly?" He nodded. "But how come I didn't detect any change in attitude last year?"

He looked down. "I have to maintain a certain image for my friends..."

"Do you have some sort of multi-personality disorder?" I was only half-joking, really. As much as I detested him, I knew Winchcombe couldn't actually be even slightly mentally ill.

"Maybe so, yeah."

Oh.

Awkward silence.

"I mean, I'm just, you know, a bit harsh on the outside. But my best friends and family know that I'm not really like that..."

"So you're all soft and mushy on the inside?"

He chuckled. "No. I'm just saying I'm not mean."

I rubbed my neck, a habit I had when I felt out of place. "Well, that's new."

More awkward silence.

"I thought maybe—we could be friends."

I looked at him blankly. "Friends? You and me?"

He nodded attentively. "It's a start."

"Hm." I looked at my watch. _Ten after eight_? I got up. "It's late. I've got loads to do."

He followed suit. "Yeah, same here. Prep-work."

"_You_ actually do your own _prep-work_?" I ridiculed, pulling on my backpack.

"I care about schoolwork and all that stuff," he replied in a dignified way. "Look how great our Potions grades were in the two years we were partners."

"Yeah, that's because of me."

He hooted. "Fast at rebuilding confidence, are we?"

--

It had been a week and a half since the horrible fight, after which Ted and I hadn't spoken to each other. In fact, I suspect we both did our best to not see each other at all. Theri, Hale, and Caitlyn had interrogated me on the incident after I had returned to the Gryffindor tower from my curious talk with Winchcombe. I had shooed them away, recalling Ted's allegation of me seeking pity.

At first, there were frequent murmurs surrounding me when I treaded down a hall, and Edwena Yule had chose to extract sections of Ted's part of the fight and redirecting them at me. She had stopped, however, one day after Transfiguration when Winchcombe had snapped, "That's enough, Edwena". She had stared at him in shock (they went out last year) and left with her head high and her strides long and fast.

He had also taken the habit of suddenly appearing to walk next to me from time to time, having a little conversation that usually ends with "Go out with me" and a "No" on my part.

Molly and Dom had made it their business to try to get Ted to apologize to me, in spite of my objections. He had sent them off, threatening to report them to a teacher for harassment. Freddie, on the other hand, had made the choice of confronting me one evening.

"I don't think that anything Ted said was right, Vic," he asserted importantly. "But you shouldn't have brought up the orphan thing, either. Nor the hair. Never offend a guy's hair, cousin."

"Thanks for the advice, Fred," he nodded and walked away pompously.

The Friday's Great Hall buzzed with excitement for the upcoming Quidditch match. I sat down with my roommates, glad to notice that the last of the seventh-year girls who had glared at me were no longer doing so. Usually Caitlyn and Theri (Chaser and Keeper) would be pestering me to go watch the match by this time, but due to the Teddy-incident and the fact that Hale was going with Peter had refrained them.

The two Quidditch players left for their last-minute practice after Luke (Chaser and Captain) came to fetch them. Ted (Seeker) slid past in the background, not acknowledging my presence in the least bit. Soon afterwards, Peter came to sit down next to Haley, and after a brief exchange with me, the couple excused themselves (Hale mouthing "sorry") to have some privacy.

I then decided it was time to retreat to the Gryffindor Tower and perhaps complete some homework or simply go to bed. But I was stopped by Winchcombe.

"Hey," he beamed.

"Why so happy?"

"Nothing in particular. Are you...going to the match tomorrow?"

I bowed my head. "No."

"Why not?"

"I've got no one to go with."

He turned his palms upwards. "Now you do."

I arched a brow. "What happened to 'maintaining a certain image'?"

He shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Once doesn't hurt."

I looked at him appreciatively but shook my head. "Quidditch really isn't my thing."

"It's not a date," he said playfully, reading my mind.

"Oh...well..."

"Well?"

"Okay...I guess," I agreed lamely. He chortled at what must've been the strained expression on my face, and we departed shortly afterwards. It wasn't that I _liked_ him or anything, but with him sharing his "not-mean" side with me, I understood how he had friends who genuinely enjoyed his company.

--

I woke up to an empty dormitory the following day. Theri had left a note on my nightstand.

_Morning, Vic,_ it read. _Didn't want to wake you. Anyway, have a _"_productive" day. Come watch if you want.. Love, your favorite cousin._

I stretched and checked the clock. _ELEVEN?_

I hastily pulled on jeans, a t-shirt, the first robe on my dresser, and, not even bothering to check if they matched, a scarf, coat, and a pair of gloves. Tumbling down the stairs to a barren common room while pulling on my boot. I climbed out of the portrait hole, and was surprised to come face-to-face with Winchcombe.

He studied my current state with apparent amusement, and then dragged me along after a short "Morning, thought you'd forgotten" and a quick smile.

The match had begun thirty minutes ago; Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw. We squeezed past cheering crowds and Winchcombe didn't stop until we were in the third row.

"Ridiculous!" I shouted over the noise, as a Ravenclaw chaser failed to score. "Why do we have to be up front?"

"So you can get the best experience," he roared so I could catch his words.

I seated myself hesitantly, but cheered nonetheless when Caitlyn dodged a Bludger and scored.

"_And she makes it! 40-20 to Gryffindor_," came the magnified voice of Dom, recently hired and somewhat over-enthusiastic.

I could see Ted circling above the game l like a giant hawk, while the Ravenclaw Seeker hovered not far from him, constantly eyeing him.

"_The Ravenclaw Seeker seems to want to do as little work as possible—_it's true, Professor Longbottom—_Oh, a nasty shot of the Bludger delivered by Fred Weasley from Gryffindor...missed, but that certainly caused a big flip. OH, WILL YOU LOOK AT THAT! A smooth and quick seize of the Quaffle coming from Lucas Wood, passed to Abigail Finnigan, who passes to—no, shoots! Oh, caught by Captain Ackers from Ravenclaw—experienced Keeper, but next year he'll be gone—_that wasn't offensive, Professor—_he throws it to Jenna Ogden, who—nope, a Bludger from Rand Roberts knocks it out—caught by Wood, who goes for it—SCORE! 50-20 to Gryffindor!_"

I stood and hooted like the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs (if Ravenclaw won, they wouldn't have a chance for the cup) around me. Winchcombe applauded politely.

"_Oh! Weller doesn't seem happy—she charges for the Gryffindor goals...can Weasley make it? SHE DOES! Gryffindor in possession again, Finnigan passes over the head of Ravenclaw Beater Rowle—who doesn't look too thrilled—anyway, Caitlyn Bristow in possession of the Quaffle—shoots, SCORES! 60-20 to Gryffindor. Ackers sweeps it with his broom...Ravenclaw in possession. Ogden dodges the Bludger from Roberts—where's the other Bludger? HEY, YOU!_"

The attention of the whole stadium was turned to up high in the sky, where Rowle was circling Ted, beating the Bludger at no one else, racing after it and hitting it back at him whenever he dodged.

"_IS THAT LEGAL? I DON'T THINK SO! It appears that the Ravenclaw Beater has lost control and is assaulting the Gryffindor Seeker, Teddy Lupin. ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES FOR YOU, SIR.—_Professor, he is clearly dangerous. I am simply advising—_oh my goodness, Ted!_"

Rowle's last hit (Madame Spinnet was charging up at him on her broom, blowing her whistle and seething) sent the Bludger zooming away at a speed I had never seen before, and caused Teddy to be hanging on his broom with only his hands. The whole stadium, except some Slytherins, stood up and gasped, terrorized as he swung on the broom, endeavoring to get back on. With one huge swing, he managed to scramble back onto his broom. I let out my breath.

"_Penalty! Penalty, I say—_I know that's Madame Spinnet's decision, Professor Longbottom, but she will—_yes, see, penalty. Oh, _two_ penalties! That's fair judgment, Ma'am—_"

THUMP.

--

"Ugh..."

"Shh..."

"D'you think..."

--

"Mm..."

"Ma'am..."

"Here, drink..."

"Ooh..."

--

"Ow..."

"Vic?"

The image in front of me came to focus. "Ted?"

"Whew, good," he sighed. "Don't believe there's trauma."

"Trauma? What happened?"

"The Bludger missed me and was hit so hard it went straight to the audience's seats."

I massaged my head. There were bandages wrapped around my entire forehead. "It hit _me_ of all people? That's just so...typical."

"Well, why were you sitting so up front anyway? I thought you weren't going to the game at all."

Yeah, what was I doing there anyway? Oh, it was all coming back now. _Best experience_..."Someone convinced me." Ted nodded, waiting for me to go on. But I didn't. "Did we win?"

That made him smile. I noticed that he had changed out of his Quidditch uniform already. "Yeah, I caught the snitch almost at the same moment you were hit."

"Oh, so I didn't miss much." He laughed. "What time is it? How bad is the injury?"

"It's just dinnertime. Around six. And the Bludger didn't exactly smack into you, it kinda scraped you and kept going."

"That sounds awful."

"It is, but Madam Pomfrey put around three layers of different pastes on you and she said you'll be up and about in a jiffy. But you'd have to come and get bandages changed for at least tomorrow if you don't want a nasty scar."

An idea occurred to me. "I'd look something like Uncle Harry."

Ted chuckled. "Yeah, but I think his cause was a tad more significant."

There was a small pause. "You're here."

"I am."

"Even after what I said to you."

The grin slipped away. "You know I didn't mean it."

"Me neither. I'm sorry."

"It was more my fault. I was harsher."

"Some of your words rang true."

His brown eyes clung onto mine. "Vic, I didn't mean any of that. They weren't true."

I looked back at him. "I shouldn't have talked about your parents that way," I whispered shamefully. He leaned in and kissed my cheek.

Madam Pomfrey appeared with a gigantic tray, and smiled when she saw me awake. "Oh, good," she repeated at least three times. "Here's your dinner, and drink the potion when you're done. It's going to help with the headache."

I looked down at the vast sea of vegetables and stews in front of me. "But, Madam Pomfrey, this is huge."

"Well, you need all the nutrition you can get," she insisted firmly, and began to leave.

"Help me," I mouthed urgently to Ted, who was snickering silently. He took a carrot stick and nibbled it, making a face.

I grinned and gulped down my pumpkin juice, realizing how thirsty I was.

* * *

**Was it too dramatic? Was it not enough? Review please.**

**Happy early birthday Harry & J.K.R.**

_Next time: "So...is that a yes?"_

_"I'm seeing someone."_


	5. Chapitre Cinq

**Hello again. Of course I don't own this. Do I sound like a millionaire to you?  
**

* * *

"Oh gosh, Weasley," Winchcombe was by my side, as I exited the Great Hall the following morning of the match. "This is all my fault."

"Winchcombe, don't blame yourself, it's just my luck."

"I made you go, I made you sit up front, I'm responsible," he insisted stubbornly. Hale, Caitlyn, and Theri, who were not yet used to this new "friendship", hovered about awkwardly.

"Seriously, I don't blame you, nobody could've known something like this would have happened," I said in a conclusive tone.

"Are you—better?" he asked, gesturing the large bandage still wrapped around my forehead.

"Yeah, this is just to keep it from scarring."

He looked relieved. "Oh, okay then." He remained there for a second, apprehensive, but left without another word.

"I think he really likes you, Vic," Haley began moments after his departure. "I know he was really snobbish and he hangs out with the worst of people and all, but he actually seems genuine."

I groaned. "Hale, your matchmaking level just dropped to Theri's," Theri opened her mouth to argue, but was stopped by her sister who had come running to inform her that their dad demanded a letter of response from them immediately for they had not written since coming back from the holidays.

The day seemed brighter since Ted and I had made up. I could almost forget about the loads of study I had to do waiting for me upstairs, looking at the sky that had turned noticeably brighter along with February. We sat in the courtyard for a while, clearing our heads (mine in particular) before going back to the library for study.

As we were heading towards the library, we ran into Ted, Luke, and Paul Campbell, another one of their roommates. Theri and Luke immediately backed away from each other as a habit. Ted asked how we were, a bit more tentative than usual when he addressed me, but perfectly normal otherwise. Luke couldn't abstain from praising Caitlyn and Theri for their good work on the field yesterday, as he had done about a million times before.

Caitlyn, as easily overjoyed as ever, joined him in rejoicing the glory of yesterday, bouncing with excitement (this girl was probably only serious when playing Quidditch and taking exams). Theri only smiled tightly, looking as if she didn't want to, when Caitlyn bragged outrageously to Paul, who missed the match because of detention, about how great Theri was. Even Luke (maniacal when it comes to Quidditch) forgot his constant hostility towards Theri and boasted her as the best Keeper to ever grace the Gryffindor team.

Theri only replied, "Not so bad yourself, captain."

Ted hung at the verge of the conversation, cocking his head and messing with his own hair. When asked what was wrong, his response was "nothing". I knew him well enough to know that he was most likely making some sort of decision. To my slight disappointment, they left before he gave a clue of what were on his thoughts.

Three hours later, the four of us were still hiding behind mountains of textbooks, notebooks, and rolls of parchment in the stuffy library while the lazy Sunday morning worn on. Theri had almost dozed off in the middle of the process (the celebrations for our one step closer to the cup had lasted till two in the morning), and Caitlyn actually did fall asleep on a thick Charms theory book, poked awake by the ancient Madam PInce, warning her crankily about drool.

"This is such a bucket-load of rubbish," Hale snapped spitefully, closing a thick, dust-covered copy of _The True Account of the Goblin Imprisonments in the 1200's_. "Goblins are not these poor, whimpering, loving and innocent creatures. What happened to the war in 1164? Has it occurred to anyone that maybe _that's_ why wizards find themselves needing to lock them up? They were ready to expose the wizards to the Muggles!"

"Relax, Hale, not all history books are written from a neutral perspective. That author was probably the descendent of a Goblin or something," I said reasonably. "Look here, _The Giant Massacres: the Thoughtless Slaughters of the Innocent_. This is about the banishments in the 1420's, a decade after the giants killed a third of the population of wizards and witches in Belgium. It's a wonder how Binns—"

"Hello?" Winchcombe stood at the brim of the table we occupied, which was between to shelves in the very back of the library.

"Winchcombe," I stood up so I could see his whole face. Hale was looking from me to him with intense interest from behind her mountain of History volumes.

"Weasley, a word?"

"...Sure." I stepped out from our study area and moved to the smaller space in the shelves next to ours with him. "What is it?"

"If I say nothing, will you be mad?" His eyes flashed wildly.

"No, but then why ask for a word?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I had an opportunity to do so, saying that I needed to fetch some more reference books for Transfiguration...so I thought, why not?" He seemed to be searching for approval, so I smiled. He returned it.

"Jules?" A distant voice drifted over, sounding a few shelves away.

"Still looking, don't wait up," he replied, raising his voice by a notch. "Just one of the friends I'm studying with," he explained to my look of confusion.

"You know, I never really thought about this," I wondered aloud. "But why do you have a French first name?"

He seemed pleased that I had finally noticed. "My mum's French. _Je parle un peut de Français_."

"Why only speak a bit?"

He shrugged. "Just enough to send off relatives. I'm not really that keen on learning the whole thing. Some of it seems more complicated than spellwork."

"How come you never told me before?"

He laughed lightly, his eyes twinkling in a way I had never seen it done before. "It wasn't that hard to figure out, if you had paid attention. Only you hated me too much to."

"Well, that's not entirely my fault, now is it?"

"No, I suppose not."

Short pause.

"Well, I'd better get going," he said shortly, then began backing away. "I actually did want to find a book."

"Right."

"See you around." The tail of his robe disappeared around the corner of the shelf. I realized I was still smiling like an idiot. Shaking myself mentally, I trudged back to our table. I was only mildly shocked to see that my three privacy-respecting friends had been pressing themselves against the bookshelf that separated them from Winchcombe and me.

"He's so mad about you," Hale commented with a fleeting grin.

"He so is, Vic," supported Caitlyn, bouncing up and down in that way she does.

"Shut it, all of you."

"You know, just because you've been fighting all your life doesn't mean you can't just like each other all of a sudden," Theri added.

"What? So I just go out with him because he suddenly revealed this caring, sensitive side of him to me and began finding snippets of time sneaking away from his friends with many excuses to talk to me?"

"Well, er, yeah?" Caitlyn, for one, appeared to deem this completely normal.

I, for one, did not.

"Since when did we consider Slytherins? What's more, since when did we start considering Edwena Yule's ex-boyfriends?"

"Oh yeah, there's that," Theri mused.

"What's wrong with being her ex?" Caitlyn inquired.

"Er, Caitlyn dear, you do realize you're the only one who doesn't think she's a complete slut around here."

"He _is_ the most attractive Slytherin in our year," Caitlyn continued, not acknowledging Theri's comment. "And you know, I think the half-French adds to it as well."

"Attractive or not, a Slytherin nonetheless," I pointed out sternly.

"House-wise prejudice isn't supposed to exist," Haley said playfully.

"Yeah, well, I'm a Weasley. I'll get disowned by my uncles."

"Which uncles?" Theri asked.

"Not your dad, Catherine. Ron, for example. Uncle George, for another."

"Wait, so you admit he's attractive and all?"

I rolled my eyes at Haley. "Yeah, perhaps. Happy?" Caitlyn giggled. "It's not like there're any...sparks, or anything, or any of that..."

"Of what?"

I span around, alarmed. Winchcombe was standing there, looking a bit guilty but not without the usual smugness.

"Eavesdropper," I accused.

"Not really, it just so happens that you're sitting in the Transfiguration section." Oh bloody hell, we were. He scanned the shelf above Haley's head, then picked out a thick volume with a small "Aha".

He took me by the wrist and dragged me two shelves beyond, probably wishing that that would stop my friends from listening in. "So, of what?"

"Of...you know, tinkling feelings..." I let my voice trail off lamely.

"Oh, really?" I was startled to feel him wrap an arm around my waist.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Too late. He was kissing me, in a deep, slow fashion. No, I will not admit I was enjoying it. No, why was I even tolerating this sort of behavior? Outrageous, I say. Completely outrageous...

Sparks, sparks, sparks.

Tingle, tingle.

He eventually let go out me, both of us breathing rather heavily. I backed away, avoiding eye contact, knowing I must be blushing as red as Theri's hair. I wouldn't say he was bad at snogging at all, but...

"Go out with me."

I tried to not let the smile creep up to my lips. "No."

For some reason, he grinned, and left swiftly with his book in his hand.

"Well?" Haley, Caitlyn, and Theri all asked as if on cue, as I sat back down in my seat (knocking down my ink bottle while doing so).

"Er—nothing."

"Yeah, right."

"Wait, don't tell me. He snogged you?"

I nodded, not looking up at any one of them.

"So?"

"So what?"

"Don't play dumb, Victoire Weasley."

"So nothing. It didn't change anything." Did it? No, of course it didn't. Despite the sparks. And the tingling. No, that was probably just me hyperventilating over nothing...

"Oh, really?"

"Maybe I'm not ready for a new relationship," I defended.

"Why? Cause you still like Rand?"

"No, he's a bleeding prat. But you know, I was in love with him for, like, three years straight."

"Speaking of which," Theri murmured, and I turned to see Rand edging slowly towards us. He halted when he saw us looking at him, but came forth anyway.

"Just need to...grab a book," he mumbled, moving awkwardly behind my chair to pick out some autobiography of an animagi. "So, Vic, er, how's your injury?"

"Fine, thanks," I replied woodenly.

"Well, get well soon."

"Yeah, thanks."

I watched him leave. Theri unexpectedly pinched me so hard I almost screamed. "_Un_called for!"

"You needed it," she said ruthlessly.

"No, why would I?"

"Vic, he said two sentences to you, and your replied contained 'thanks' two out of two times!" Hale groaned exasperatedly. Darn, she was right.

I swore to never, ever sit in the Transfiguration section again.

--

By the time we returned to the common room after dinner, the fires and lamps have all already been lit. Gryffindors were scattered around the circular room: seventh-years dozing off on couches, fifth- and sixth-years doing homework on coffee tables or on the floor, lower classmen playing games of Exploding Snap or chess about the place. The four of us sat down on the rug next to the fireplace, next to some guy who was sprawled on the floor with a pillow over his head, completely knocked out.

"We should just go straight to bed," Haley suggested, yawning.

"Are you kidding me? Sunday evenings have the best drama," Caitlyn looked around excitedly.

"Really? I always thought Saturday," Theri pondered.

"No, Sunday has better-rested souls," Caitlyn explained matter-of-factly.

My eyes found a figure coming through the portrait hole. "Here comes your drama, Amelia Birch."

Amelia was a seventh-year with doll-like features covered in thick makeup and heavy-set yellow (I say yellow cause that's more fitting than blonde) hair done in dramatic curls. She was bold (her only virtue matching any Gryffindor's) and self-adoring, and known to wear her uniform skirt pulled highest and her shirt buttoned down to the lowest. Her confidence had only boosted, if that was possible, after Ted had agreed to go out with her.

He was there, with her, but didn't seem too thrilled of it. Earlier in their relationship, Ted had assured Theri and I that Amelia thought of it no more than a series of "benefits", but in my opinion, she was in pretty deep. Indeed, to nobody's surprise, she sat them both down and entwined their legs together, tussling his blue hair and whispering in his ear.

All four of us were watching them now, not even bothering to pretend to talk. What the other three were thinking I couldn't know, but I myself was pretty disgusted.

Ted cocked his head away from his girlfriend, as she continued talking (we couldn't hear) and giggling, somehow convincing herself that he was listening. It was not long after that she began snogging him with passion that was, I felt obliged to say, better appreciated _outside_ of the common room.

"Oh, she's at it again," I was surprised to see that the guy that was lying next to us woke up to be Luke. Seeing who was next to them, he and Theri immediately scooted a few feet away from each other.

"Luke, you could always sleep upstairs," Hale suggested. "You know, where your bed is, instead of here scaring the hell out of us."

"Sorry," he stretched. "Bad date, had a bit too much to drink."

"How do you find time to go have dates in Hogsmeade with your N.E.W.Ts coming up and everything?" I questioned; I was two years younger and absolutely out of free time.

He shrugged. "Natural genius?"

"Or lack of tendency to care about your future," spat Theri.

"Relax, I've got my future ensured."

"If you're talking about Quidditch, _dear captain_—"

"Sod off, you two, I think they're having a fight," Caitlyn ordered, watching Ted and Amelia, who had broken apart. He was averting his eyes and talking solemnly, while her carefully plucked brows were furrowed. Sure enough, she started shrieking at him so loudly we could hear almost all the way across the room.

"I have offered nothing but good intentions!" she was yelling, standing up. "I've been nothing but good to you!"

"Too good, won't you say?" Ted wasn't really shouting, and I had to strain to hear. "All you ever do—"

"You wanted it! You enjoyed it! All of it! Can you deny that?"

"I want a girlfriend," he looked up at her sternly, "whose interests concerning me are beyond the favors my body can offer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she wailed, perfect hair bobbing out of place.

"It means," he stood up as well. "Someone whose sole purpose of being with me is not to get into my trousers."

She looked aghast. "How dare you!"

"Dare me." ("Ooh, harsh, Ted, harsh," moaned Caitlyn happily.)

"Oh, are you ending this, then?"

"However little there is to end," he replied ("Hey, that was my line," I grumbled), and then watched calmly as she let out raging screams, followed by a loud stomp, a slap in his face ("Oho," said Luke), and storming up the girls' dormitory stairs.

Ted wandered slowly towards us, all eyes in the room following him, as well as excited whispers among the girls for the new opportunity and guys who wanted to be the shoulder Amelia could cry on. He sat down serenely in between Luke and Theri.

"So that's what you were deciding this morning?" I asked.

His lips curled to a small smile. "You noticed."

"Of course I did."

"So, Luke, how was your date with what's-her-face?"

"Jodi Pucey," Luke groaned. "She's as bad as Amelia, only worse, 'cause she's not even as hot. It was so a one-time thing."

"Typical for you, isn't it?" Theri remarked with spite.

"Typical for you to spend a weekend in the library with girls, isn't it?"

"At least I—"

Ted raised his hands. "Enough, you two. Exploding Snap, Luke?"

"Rejoicing our fifth year? Sure." The two of them _were_ very addicted to the game two years ago.

"Well? Let's join them," Caitlyn prompted, then went to sat next to Luke (who seemed to be her new objective) to start the game of cards.

--

Ancient Runes was more painful than ever, what with a whole new list of words to memorize and two tests coming up in the following classes.

And with Rand.

For some reason I don't wish to discover, he had found it necessary to keep meeting my eye during class. I wish Professor Babbling would rearrange the desks so that he couldn't be facing me whenever I tried to look at the board. Unfortunately, she seemed to think that arranging the desks in the symbol of Futhark was a great joke.

After class, I gathered my books with Hale (Theri and Caitlyn take Care of Magical Creatures instead) and stood up to leave for dinner, but was stopped by Rand. I looked at Hale for help, but she only shrugged, entirely clueless.

"Erm, Rand."

"Victoire. You got the bandage off."

"Yes, I did," I was careful not to say 'thanks'.

"So...you're feeling fine?"

"Yeah, thanks," Ugh! I could've slap myself if he wasn't there.

"Can we talk—more privately?" I nodded limply, and we went behind a column next to the classroom door. "Look, I noticed that you're not with Wood anymore."

"No, I'm not," okay, this was weird, weird, weird.

"Well—I'm not with Karishma anymore either, or anyone else," he added hurriedly, as I opened my mouth. "I just thought, you know, we seemed to be so perfect for each other," that used to be true for me, mm-hm, "and maybe we can just give it another shot, if you're up for it. I meant it when I said I liked you."

I stared at him for a few seconds before the meaning of his words registered. I still looked at him blankly.

"If you're not, seeing anyone, or, anything," his words come out spluttered.

Silence.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," he tried.

Silence.

"So...is that a yes?"

"I'm seeing someone," I let out brusquely, surprising myself. I was? What? When? "Excuse me, Rand."

I raced away to the Great Hall, passing Peter Davies and Haley, who called my name, but I waved her off and continued running. I made it to the entrance with only three close-calls of tripping. I looked around.

There he was, walking along slowly while reading off a roll of parchment, one of his friends flirting with a girl a few steps away from him. I walked composedly towards him, stopping him in his path. He looked at me, startled, and lowered the paper.

"Yes," I said to an utterly confused Jules Winchcombe. Then I grabbed him by the neck and kissed him.

* * *

**So, um, those of you who want to kill me at this point, please don't, because I swear there's a reason for this coupling.**

**Please review and tell me what you think (:**


	6. Chapitre Six

**Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you guys didn't hate that I paired Vic with Winchcombe. (:**

Going out with Jules Winchcombe was more than I expected.

Firstly, it was hard. We both had to avoid clashing our own plans with plans with our friends, him especially, and with our O.W.L. revisions. Winchcombe (we hadn't yet subsided to calling each other by our first names) was a notch paranoid about his friends objecting to our premature relationship, not as if they didn't already, and mostly only spent time with me while telling them he was elsewhere.

Secondly, it was awkward. My three girl friends were supportive enough, Haley and Caitlyn especially, but Ted, Freddie, and Lou weren't so fast to accept it. Ted was astounded when I confessed to him, and took some talking to before he decided I wasn't mental. Freddie and Lou worried me more: they looked like they were more than ready to write to our Uncles and Aunts about this new development. The three of them often sent hostile or disapproving looks my way whenever I was seen with Winchcombe in the halls or conversing after class.

Thirdly, it was oddly satisfying. Rand was beyond shocked when he learned of the news, and thereby stopped trying to make up to me overall. Edwena endeavored to make me feel inferior for seeing her ex, but when that failed, simply flirted with Winchcombe more, though his responses were most cold. Was it perverse for me to feel contented when she glared at me when silent distaste in class or during meals?

The days passed slowly, filled with classes, revision, homework, gossip, sarcasm, late nights, sprinkled with Winchcombe. In some ways, he was by far the sweetest boyfriend I'd ever had (three others)—a major shock, really. Who could have guessed that beyond the arrogant smirk and the waves of insults lurked such a great guy? Every morning an owl would deliver a short note, a flower, or a small sweet of sorts. Even Hale was slightly jealous, what with Davies always wrapped around her. Also, since my involvement with Winchcombe, Caitlyn seemed to have become even keener on flirting with Luke.

This bothered Theri.

"He's an obnoxious prat who's dumped or driven away every single girl he's dated in less than two weeks," she groaned one day after Ted and Luke had left us. "Is that really what you want?"

Caitlyn sighed heavily. We had been through this a few times already. "Look, Theri. I'm not the brightest girl around, nor the prettiest. He's hot, got a decent personality, a sense of humor, and he's a terrific flyer. That's more than I can ask for."

Theri rubbed her temple and said nothing more.

On the other hand, Ted was considerably happier after his break-up with Amelia Birch. This also left him a bit more time to spend with Theri and me.

"So, are you done scouting for your fifteenth girlfriend yet?" I teased one noon as the three of us were having lunch in the Great Hall (the others had a different lunch period that day).

"Wait, or was it twentieth?" asked Theri, not looking up from her copy of the _Quibbler_.

Ted gave us both stern looks, even though Theri didn't see. "Thirteenth. And no, I'm actually thinking about taking a small break."

I arched a brow. Break from girls? "Are you feeling well? This is your last year here, you know."

"Maybe a month or so," he replied, shrugging.

"Well that's okay," Theri put in, closing her _Quibbler_ and taking a bite of her sandwich. "I sort of like you single, however short those periods are. This way there aren't random sluts popping in to snog you whenever we're talking to you."

"Or hysterical and obsessed girlfriends throwing food and yelling at Theri and I for being too close to you," I added, reminiscing the few times we got assaulted.

"It's just like the old days, when the three of us did everything together," Theri continued. "Peaceful."

"I miss _you_ single," Ted suddenly snarled, glaring with hatred at Winchcombe, who was hovering hesitantly at the brim of the Gryffindor table, careful not to be too close.

"Well, too bad, gotta run," I gathered my things, took a final bite of my turnip muffin, and left to join my—this still sounds weird—boyfriend, who was standing in that smug way he did for the benefit of the small group of Gryffindor girls that were observing him.

"Don't trip," I heard Theri call out, but decided to ignore her.

"Winchcombe," I greeted with a pert nod when I reached him.

"Weasley," he returned with a small snicker, and didn't take my hand until we had exited the Great Hall. "What do you have next?"

I laughed. "Transfiguration. Et toi?"

"Transfiguration as well. What a coincidence." He closed his lips gently on mine. Mm, big sparks.

All of a sudden, he pulled away and let go of me. I turned to see a small troop of Slytherins marching out of the Great Hall, talking among themselves in their sluggish way (or perhaps this was just Gryffindor prejudice, but anyhow). We stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, and he finally said, "In that case, we should start running if we don't want to be late."

--

March was pretty much a blur. Dark circles emerged under the eyes of all fifth- and seventh-years, even the likes of Caitlyn. Our O.W.L.s would start soon, in two months. Rumors of the date of the examiners' arrival date shifted, but all had one thing in common: soon. There was one conclusion everyone had made on that bit of news: Not good.

April dawned with the fields pulling on a coat of green and the birds getting so worked up on reproducing and whatever it was that they do in spring that I was strongly tempted to curse their bloody beaks off more than once.

I sat by a window in the library, quite alone seeing as Haley was in the Herbology section and Theri and Caitlyn were in a Care of Magical Creatures weekend crash review course. I was about to conclude my Potions essay (after an hour, whew) when Ted came to sit down next to me.

"Vic, I like you."

I stared at him. "Why Ted, I like you too."

"In fact, I love you."

_Emotional, are we?_ "Well, I love you too. What's the problem?"

His eyes were dead serious. "Victoire, I _love_ you. I always have and always will. I want you to know that."

_Oh...huh??_ "Er—that would be odd, Ted. Besides, I'm not really—so er—"

"Gotcha," Ted began to crack up on the spot, holding his stomach. "You should have seen yourself," he said a few seconds later, wiping his eyes. "Happy April Fool's day, my _love_."

GIT! "Teddy Remus Lupin!" I seethed, restraining myself from shouting and getting kicked out by Madam Pince. I slapped him, hard, on the back. He cowered away, still laughing, blocking my attacks with one hand. "That was not funny! You scared the bleeding magic out of me!"

Ted pulled on his best hurt face. "Aw, is it that awful for me to love you? I am rather sought after in this school, you know."

I punched him, harder than even last time, in the stomach. That did the job of knocking that ridiculous smile off his pretty face.

--

Caitlyn consulted me later that same day, in our dorm where I was leafing through _Witch Weekly_.

"Guess what?" she asked brightly. I shook my head without actually looking up. "I'm going to ask Luke out today. And if he says no, I'll just say it was a joke for April Fool's Day."

That made me look. "Nice plan. See, you're a lot brighter than you give yourself credit for."

Caitlyn chuckled. "Hale came up with it."

"Oh. Of course she did. The romance master."

Caitlyn nodded enthusiastically. "And if he says yes, then, well, I'm not going to complain. He and Theri will just have to deal with each other, then. They'd put up with each other without committing murder for so long, they can do it for me."

"Right, but Caitlyn, is this really what you want? I mean, despite that Theri probably just said it to stop you from flirting with him, he really has a bad record for girlfriends. Also, he's leaving in three months."

"If you're permitted to date Jules Winchcombe, I think I'm allowed to date Lucas Wood," she responded somewhat pompously, but brightened up almost right away. "So, you think he'll say yes? I mean, I know all everyone says all he cares about is Quidditch, but I love Quidditch too, and we've always gotten along fine since the beginning. He's got no reason not to say yes, right? I'm humorous, right? I mean, sometimes I'm not _intentionally_ funny, but I still end up hilarious, right? Well, do you agree that he has been responsive when I've been giving him a little more, er, attention lately? I mean, he hasn't pushed me away or anything. Those are good signs, right?"

I wasn't even sure if I was supposed to do anything, but she seemed to be finally giving me a chance to answer, so I put in, "Right."

"Right. So, do you think my hair looks fine? I know I straightened it, but do you think curled would actually be better? What about the color? I saw a spell for honey-blonde highlights in a _BeautyCharms_ issue once. Do you reckon that'll look nice with this?" she undid her ponytail and was holding up a sandy brown lock at me, the question lingering on her face. Caitlyn was always so real, never hiding her thoughts or pretending to be more than what she is.

"It's fine," I replied mildly, with a small grin.

--

Caitlyn and Hale decided that the best time for their plan to launch was during dinner, in which we would invite Ted, Luke, and whoever that was with them to eat with us. Caitlyn would bring up the question casually ("But with sincerity," reminded Hale) and hopefully Luke's answer would be yes. He wasn't that much of a picky guy, and had hardly said no to any of his proposes.

We were supposed to inform Ted of this, so that we could be sure they would agree to sit with us. He was vaguely shocked by the proposal, but agreed to help afterwards. Theri, meanwhile, sat in the corner and read her Charms notes, and didn't for once voice her thoughts.

Caitlyn, being her insensitive and forthright self, volunteered to talk to Theri (not a good idea, not a good idea), "So, Theri, you've been quiet. Is it not a great stratagem?"

Theri looked at her for a second, and agreed shortly, before returning to her notes.

"Oh, c'mon, Theri. Charms isn't more interesting than my love life," Caitlyn coaxed shamelessly. "I know you and Luke have pretty much became enemies since the time when you accidentally spat bubble juice all down his front in our first year in front of the girl he was about to ask out, but you accepted Winchcombe."

Theri paused in her actions and grinned blandly. "Of course I wouldn't object. I won't even say a word throughout this...ploy."

"Ploy? I wouldn't call it that, now. More like a genius yet harmless plan."

"Sure. And it wasn't bubble juice, it was hot pumpkin soup."

"Steaming," I recalled.

Theri shrugged. "He purposely tripped me on the Quidditch pitch in front of the whole school before my first game."

"Whether it was purposely or not is still arguable," Caitlyn countered.

"Right, yeah," Theri turned back to her notes.

--

"Hey, Ted, Luke, Paul. Want to join us?" Caitlyn offered cheerily that evening.

"We could use some female company," Ted agreed according to plan. He nudged Paul Campbell, who, being on the shy side of the scale, blushed scarlet.

The three of them sat down with Luke next to Caitlyn as she had hoped, Ted next to Theri and Campbell on his other side, apprehensive. I was next to Caitlyn and felt as if I was about to burst out laughing hectically. This whole "following the plan" thing made me feel as if I was an eleven years old airhead.

Conversation was casual at first, and yet, after a brief discussion on Hagrid's (Professor, whatever) new haircut, Caitlyn suddenly piped up, "Luke, go out with me."

He stared at her blankly, most likely resembling myself from Ted's prank. I suddenly felt a little sorry for the guy. "Er...hm?"

She batted her lashes. "You heard me."

"Is this a joke?"

"Gee, Wood. I ask you out and you think it was a joke."

Hey, since when was she such a great actress?

"Wow, Caitlyn. Why would you ever want a relationship with me? Mr. Quidditch First, Nothing Else?"

Theri looked like she was about to say something (probably to reclaim the nickname she had invented), but recalling her promise to not start a quarrel, stopped.

"So?"

"Well, I do have quite the awful record boyfriend-wise..."

"The record doesn't bother me," Caitlyn blinked in that childlike manner she possessed.

"I'm not precisely the caring type..."

"I don't need much caring." Right, we would only have to spend another half hour comforting her that that line wasn't so desperate later.

Luke hesitated.

"Aw, Luke. You never say no to anyone," Hale urged.

He looked aghast. "That is not true! I have my reserves."

"Ouch," whispered Caitlyn, faltered.

He turned to her. "Oh, Caitlyn, that's not what I meant. It's not _you_ personally. It's that right now the circumstances are different..."

"What do you mean different?"

"N.E.W.T.s and everything, you know."

"Oh come on, it's not like you care about them," Theri said before she could stop herself. Realizing her doing, she dropped her gaze and began eating at top-speed.

"Fine, it's alright, I get it, ha," Caitlyn said (a bit too) cheerily. "I was just kidding, Captain. Gee, happy April Fool's Day to you too."

He blanked out for another bit.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha."

"He, he," Caitlyn produced weakly. "Was it not realistic?"

"Yeah, my Chaser, I didn't know you could act so well." Oh, really? Then why does something tell me he saw through the whole act just then?

"Oh, time to head for the common room, I think," Ted said a tad too sullenly, and rose to leave with a quarter of his dinner abandoned on his plate.

--

"He hates me!"

"No, you're just..."

"He does! And he knew I was lying!"

"You were great..."

"He thinks I'm ridiculous! He's probably laughing at me right this moment!"

"Naw, he'd never..."

"Above all, he _rejected_ me!"

"Okay, stop." Hale raised both her hands and Caitlyn looked at her mid-wail. "So, he's right. He cares about you enough to want to spare you misery. He's busy right now—N.E.W.T.s, Quidditch finals nearing, and he's leaving in July."

"In other words, you'd just get ignored all the time," Theri said, looking out the window.

"When put bluntly, yes," Hale cut a glare at the previous speaker. "In a nicer way—I mean, from another aspect—as in—if you—"

"You would've been hurt, and as hard as it is to believe right now, it's better off this way," I concluded simply. "And you know what? It's twelve, and we've been at this for way too long for your health. We should all go to bed so we won't hate ourselves as much tomorrow in class."

That we did. Theri was deep in thought for some reason, Haley seemed grateful and exhausted, and Caitlyn just looked...well, for a lack of better words, pissed off.

* * *

**Poor Caitlyn. Did anyone get excited during Ted's prank?**

**Question: how long will Vic and Winchcombe stay together?**

**My school starts Thursday, so updates may take longer. I'll try to be consistent.**

* * *


	7. Chapitre Sept

**I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter; it's one of my personal favorites.**

**Disclaimer: the name's not Rowling.**

* * *

"How's she doing?"

"A hundred percent convinced that he hates her guts, but otherwise quite unharmed. Oh, perhaps a little tattered on ego."

Ted ruffled his hair. "To be honest, I was surprised that Luke refused."

"Just because you can't stand to refuse a pretty girl yourself," I teased, and he punched my shoulder playfully.

"That's right, I'll never be able to refuse you, Beautiful."

"Ah ha, ha, very funny. Charms for me, anyway." I turned around the corner to Flitwick's classroom, with one last wave at him.

Actually, that conversation brings back some memories...

_--_

_October 2013, Gryffindor Common Room_

"_Oh my goodness," I slumped down in the sofa next to Ted, who was flipping through a copy of _Quidditch Quipsters.

"_What's up, Beautiful?" He inquired absently, using the name he gave me (Theri was 'Gorgeous') before even he ever set foot in school. "You look like a wreck."_

"_Thanks, Ted. That's the comment I was looking for."_

"_Alright, then. What are you looking for?" That prat wasn't even paying attention. His mind was obviously on the article he was skimming through and the brunette who was staring at him unblinkingly a few yards away._

"_A date, for Hogsmeade, this weekend."_

_That got his attention. "Why on earth would you need a date for your first weekend?"_

"_Oh, quit the protective, shocked crap, Mr. Lupin. I'm thirteen and I get to date, too."_

"_Yeah, I know that. But why now? Right now? So soon?"_

_I sighed. "It's Theri. Peter Rogers agreed to spend it with her, but she wants me to go with her. As in double date go with her. But you know, I don't really want to ask...anyone, really."_

"_Oh? What happened to what's-his-face...Raymond Richards?"_

"_Randall Roberts," I corrected before I could stop myself. "Of course, I don't harbor any sort of romantic feelings for him at all, if that's what you're saying. I'm serious!" I asserted as he smirked._

"_So are you asking _me _to go with you?"_

"_Yeah, well, you're the only one who won't take it, you know, seriously, right? And you're going to say yes because you'll never, ever deny me a favor?" I put on my best puppy-dog pout._

_He messed with his electric blue hair. "Well, there's this girl, Rosemary, who was bound to say yes if I asked, but that could wait, I suppose," he turned to me with a grin. "After all, I'll never be able to say no to you, Beautiful."_

--

Charms was all about reviewing; Floating Charms, Summoning Charms, Watering Charms, and so many that by the end of class, the room was almost completely wrecked along with the brains of us students. The room was cleared with a general hazed expression hanging on faces, and a few people giggling uncontrollably due to over-successful Cheering Charms.

Next came Herbology, and then Transfiguration. However, I was in a bright mood of sorts when I headed for lunch; I did exceptionally well today in Transfiguration, managing to transform just about every animal I was asked to on first try, which was most definitely a new record.

This almost made me forget my little disaster in Herbology, in which a vigorous lily sucked onto my finger and wouldn't let go. When it did, my finger was swollen and purple, slightly resembling an eggplant. But with a spell cast by Professor Longbottom (it took two tries, and the first effort was not particularly a great memory), I was all better.

Winchcombe walked me to the table, but didn't sit down.

"So er...see you later?"

"Yeah, I guess," I leaned towards him, but the kiss was short. I should've known better: no public displays of affection with him, right? "Gee, what sort of peck was that?"

"Well, you'll have to excuse me, princess," he left quickly with a smile.

Theri was snickering at me when I turned around. "Shut up."

"That would have been more intimidating if you weren't wearing that huge smile."

"Frankly, I don't see anything to smile about, really, Vic." Ted sat down next to me along with a rather sheepish Luke. "Your little boyfriend, I mean..."

"Oh, is that jealousy I sense?" He mimed throwing a carrot stick at me. I laughed but looked behind him. "Luke, we're not going to pounce on you and hex you to death, you know."

"Haley might," he eyed Hale, who was downing a bowl of vegetable soup.

"Oh, come on," she shook her hand impatiently, putting down her bowl. "Loosen up, handsome. Caitlyn isn't even here...Goodrich made her stay to clean up all the chicken feathers."

"They were roosters, not chickens," Caitlyn sat down next to Hale. We all looked at her questioningly. "What? Goodrich stressed that at least twenty times in the last fifteen minutes. I mean, honestly, I just forgot that gender mattered for the briefest _minute_! Then there she goes, like it's the biggest crime ever..."

Silence.

"So what? I was tired."

"Hm, well, on that happy note," Theri resumed to her tuna sandwich.

"You know, Vic, he's not good enough for you," Ted mused. Oh, honestly. Just because he wanted to turn the attention from Caitlyn and Luke, doesn't mean he had to attack me.

"Give me a good reason why. And while you're at it, why don't you tell me, in your opinion, who is?"

"Reason: he's a snob who pretends he doesn't give about you in public, and then seeks your attention desperately in private. A.k.a. hypocritical. Not to mention he's not even that charming. As for who is? Well—"

"Please don't say—"

"—Me?" He chuckled. "Nah, no offense or anything, my dear part-Veela, but I've got many other fish already lined up on the hook. So sorry."

"Ew, Lupin. You know we hate those metaphors," Hale frowned at him, poking her cherry tomatoes around with her fork.

"Ha, ha. You know I'm just joking. And by the way, Vic, I do redeem myself as not good enough for you as well. If you ask me, that is. Other chicks around here may not agree."

Well, that was new.

--

_February 2011, Hogwarts Library_

_It didn't make sense._

_Logically, it didn't even work. If frog eggs with Thestral hair would make it neon green, and Thestral hair with Swingweed would make it glow, then why the heck did all three together make it coral and foaming? Why? Huh?_

"_Potions?"_

"_Oh, it's you."_

"_Yes, it is. Aren't you glad, little first-year?"_

"_To be honest, not precisely."_

"_Guess what I heard today."_

"_Oh, I'm sorry. Did someone finally inform you that you're not perfect?"_

"_Not yet, but I did hear that a certain Ravenclaw has a thing for you."_

_Oh, that Rowle thing was completely insane. I didn't even know the guy. Why in the world did he send me a valentine? "I'm not in the mood to be teased, Ted."_

"_Don't say yes."_

_Well, that was blunt. "He didn't ask me anything."_

"_If he does."_

_I nodded absentmindedly, concentrating on my textbook. "Why not, though? I mean, I'm not going to, but it's not like he's been a git to me or anything."_

"_Because he's not good enough for you."_

_I looked at him; the handsome (whatever) face was a hundred percent serious, up to the roots of his dark turquoise hair. "And who is?"_

_He grinned at me impishly. "I am."_

_Theri and Hale came back, stacks of books in their arms. "Oh, hey Ted. Why grant the teeny weenie first-years a surprising visit?" asked my cousin, dropping her books, sarcasm and irony intact._

"_Alright, Gorgeous. I'm leaving," he raised his hands in surrender form and vanished around the next bookshelf._

_--_

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

But most of all, just dinner.

What could we be having?

Famished, famished, famished...

"Vic, wake up."

"Oh your goodness!" I jumped out of my chair as a hand touched my back.

"My goodness is unharmed, thanks."

Then it all came back to me. Some stupid idea about grabbing just one book before going to dine. Then another idea about just looking the information I needed quickly. Then yet another idea about reading for a bit longer. Stupid, stupid, stupid me.

"Ted, please tell me supper's still on the table."

"Supper's still on the table."

"Honestly."

"Er, I don't know. Maybe dessert is."

"Oh, crap." I checked my watch. "Eight fifty? No way. I am not having chocolate fudge for dinner. I'm starving!"

Ted looked like he was about to double over with laughter, but seemed to decide otherwise. Instead, he took my bag that was hanging on my chair, and pulled me out of my seat. "Come on, we'll go to the kitchen."

I nodded and stretched. "Oh, hold on, the dratted book. Can't remember all that I read before I...you know."

I grabbed the book that I had fallen asleep on, slammed it shut, and jammed it into my bag. Ted handed the bag to me and we headed off for the giant fruit painting together.

--

"Mm," I moaned lightly as his arms enveloped my shoulders.

The light brush of lips in the beginning had moved on to a deep, slow, kiss and then outwardly passionate. I couldn't even recall where we were anymore, or what we were originally planning to do. But of course, all great things come to an end. He eventually ceased the movement and backed away, and I let him, reluctantly.

"Who could have guessed you were that great a kisser?"

"I never cease to surprise, right, Weasley?"

"No," I smiled and pulled him into another embrace.

I could do this for a living. Honestly, I could. In fact, I would even _pay_ to get this type of treatment. Is it not great, then, that I don't even have to?

"Vic!"

Winchcombe let go of me so quickly that I almost tripped. We were in a dark spiral staircase somewhere near the North tower, where we were planning to have a nice, long, sensational discussion on our lives lately. Somehow, though, that resulted to a fervent make-out.

Winchcombe had his hands tucked in his pant pockets, his face flushed and his hair tussled. I was so glad to finally be able to admit how adorable he looked without wanting to hit myself for he was my mortal enemy. I jumped back to reality when he mumbled, "Lupin."

"Winchcombe," Ted sort of spat at him. "What the hell's the meaning of this?"

"The meaning of this, Ted, is that—" I walked closer to him and jabbed his shoulder as I talked to emphasize my point. "—I'm old enough to snog a guy. Especially if I'm actually seeing this guy. And I have a choice to where I want to do that, too. And you know, that's none of your business." I poked him once for each of the last four words. He was looking down at me with sullen authority, but I glared back at him firmly, not about to back down.

"It is if I have to walk into it."

"What's the matter? I watch you snogging your little girlfriends all the time, not to mention the rest of Gryffindor House. Besides, it's your own fault you decided to take this, may I assert, deserted shortcut."

"That's different. I'm older. I'm of age."

"So that's your excuse for virtually shagging your many, many girlfriends in public? How convenient. Why don't we face the real problem here, Lupin?"

"And what is that?"

"You think you're my guardian, but your not." We were about two inches apart, both about to steam from the ears with anger. "It's not your duty to protect me from the evils of the world, Ted, so drop it."

"You're wrong, Victoire Weasley. I'm not your guardian, but I do care if you treat your body like—a slut's."

"A _slut's_? He's my bleeding _boyfriend_, and I've got every right to snog him all I want. You're just...just...in denial."

"Of what, exactly?" he bellowed.

"That I'm not yours!" I roared, seething.

This caused minutes of utter silence that dragged on for centuries. The only sounds intruding the silence was my heavy breathing, along with Ted's. I don't think I'd ever seen him this furious, not even that time in the Great Hall. His face was as flushed as Winchcombe's, and even his hair had turned a dark shade of orange (unconscious morphing can be creepy at times).

Finally, his hair faded back to blue, and he backed away, seemingly having a hard time controlling himself. He looked at me as if he was going to retort something, or hit me, but pursed his lips tightly and did nothing of the sort. Instead, he spared Winchcombe an icy glare, as if this was his fault (which, in his opinion, it probably was), and left in a whirlwind.

Winchcombe and I stood there for a few more minutes, I in a trance of sorts and he probably feeling more awkward than he had in his entire life. He then scratched the back of his neck, draped a cautious arm around me, and led me out of the dark staircase and into the dark grounds of a Hogwarts evening.

--

_May 2014, Gryffindor Tower Entrance_

This is a lot more watery than I would've expected, _I thought. It's not that he's a bad kisser or anything, I suppose. Well, I had only kissed another guy before, no tongue involved, but this isn't bad, I guess. This wasn't a bad birthday present, anyway._

_Er, where did he think his hand was going?_

"_Vic!"_

"_Oh for Merlin's sake, that was scary!" I let go of my hold on my date of the night, and turned to face the intruder._

"_What do you think you're doing?" Ted wasn't addressing me, but Daniel Ackers behind me._

"_Relax, Ted. It was just a goodnight kiss."_

"_It certainly looked like you were up to more than that, _Daniel_. She's thirteen, you prat."_

"_Fourteen!" I exclaimed._

"_Since when?"_

"_Since today!"_

_He tilted his head back in recognition. "Right. But my point is, she's young, and whatever you've got on your mind, I'm not gonna let that happen to her."_

_Before I could argue, or respond in any way, really, Ted dragged me off into the tower and, after growling the password at the Fat Lady, pulled me through the portrait hole and into the rather empty common room. He stopped to look at me, and I exploded._

"_What was that about? That could have been the start of something! He was a nice guy, and whether you believe or not, he treated me with respect, and he was actually sincere for a change!" _

_He simply continued looking at me. "Ted, I'm not a baby anymore. You can't fend off boys for me like you do my nightmares when I was four and I was too embarrassed to go to Theri."_

"_I know," and then he hugged me tighter than ever, not caring who saw._

--

Theri was shocked at my news of my brand new argument with Ted.

"Honestly, what's wrong with you two lately?" she questioned, eyes wide over _Which Broomstick 2015_. "You guys hardly ever fought, but this is the second time in... what was it, three months? But you guys were fine yesterday, going to the kitchen together and all. What's up with Ted anyway? Last time he caught me with Weaver near the lake, all he did was tell me later to go somewhere more private next time."

"I know, it's so weird, right? He hasn't been this obsessive since the Ackers thing, and that was our third year."

"Yeah, well, I guess Patrick wasn't good-looking enough to be a threat. Ted probably thought I could keep from sharing more than a kiss with him that way. I remember him telling me before that Hogsmeade date with Rogers to not snog him in front of you two, though. That was pretty funny."

She was right. What was up with Ted anyway? Was it because Winchcombe was in Slytherin? Well, that was awfully house-prejudice. But then again, his parents were murdered by Slytherin Death Eaters, but it was unlike him to feel such strong hatred towards a guy because of that.

Oh drat, I didn't do Defense homework yet.

* * *

**So? It was just a sort of snippet-chapter I thought I should add. The fight sort of developed on its own. I didn't really plan it.**

**Tell me what you think, please. Was it too weird? Too out of place? **


	8. Chapitre Huit

**I kept my promise -- one week. I'm sort of proud of myself, to be honest.**

**Disclaimer: This is the...woah, eighth time we've gone through this?**

**--**

I cracked up at the sight of the yellow dog with a tortoise shell in front of me. Professor Goodrich eyed me sternly, and I shut my mouth to give her the tiniest of grins. She waved her wand ill-temperedly, and Winchcombe's tortoise resumed its original form. The Professor glared at him harshly, and he cleared his throat and whispered the indication again. The poor creature turned once again into a terrier, but was a mustard-like yellow with patterns of its old shell on its fur. Professor Goodrich looked at me.

"Miss Weasley, perhaps you could tell your partner what he is doing wrong."

"Er—he's stretching out the 'cro' too long, and that's why it's turning so yellow. And the pattern of the shell would most likely disappear with clearer enunciation."

"Precisely, five points to Gryffindor, but most of all, Mr. Winchcombe," she turned back to him, eyes gleaming, "_focus_. Or I shall have to remove anything that may be a distraction out of your sight."She gave me a most meaningful look.

"Right, Professor," Winchcombe replied obediently, but his dark eyes were dancing wildly. That, incidentally, was a motion that often deprived me from the ability to focus myself. I removed my eyes from his face and returned to the tortoise.

This was the second time we had paired up together in Transfiguration. The first time he was quite reluctant, but eventually figured it could do no harm. I could swear that even the unmovable Goodrich had widened her eyes at our choice of partners (Theri paired up with a chubby, quiet boy named Neil Wright). We worked well enough together, used to the situation due to our two years together in Potions. Winchcombe, however, who was ultra-sensitive when it came between me and his friends, dismissed the idea of us doing so every time. Oh, well. I could appreciate personal space…from time to time.

I could feel his eyes etching into my skin as I made a second attempt to transfigure the tortoise. My first one resulted in a terrier with hardly any fur at all. Now that we had gotten to know each other a lot better both mentally and physically, even the feeling of being stared at by him could make my skin tingle. An altogether not-bad experience, of course, but I couldn't deny that it was also making it incredibly difficult to concentrate.

"Winchcombe?" I prompted without looking up.

"Yeah?"

"You're staring."

"Don't I have a right to?"

"Yeah, well, this tortoise is bound to stay as one for the entire class if you don't pause the sightseeing for a bit."

"Fine _Victoire_. I'll go dwelling into the depths of my textbook instead," he put emphasis on my first name with a cheeky grin.

"You do that, _Jules_."

Aha, a normal terrier at last. Well, the tail was a bit short…and plump, but that's minor. I suppose the fur could grow out a bit more…ugh, amphibians.

--

I trailed off to Arithmancy behind Hale and Theri, yawning. The things I would do for a simple biscuit right now would pure blackmail material. My eyes watered with the last yawn, and when they came back to focus I could a certain someone with blue hair standing a few paces ahead of me. By his expression, I almost thought that he had forgotten about our fight a few days prior. But then I realized that he was actually addressing Theri.

My shoulders automatically drooped and I decided to slide past without being noticed.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I stopped short. "Excuse me?"

Ted flashed a wide grin at me, the same one that he had used to win over countless of hearts. "I was just getting to you. Where did you think you were sneaking off to?"

"Er…Arithmancy?"

"So as I was saying," he continued brightly, ignoring my reply. "You two have got to see the early birthday card Uncle George sent me. It's hilarious."

"Where is it?" Theri asked; I was still thoroughly confused, and didn't mutter a word.

"Up in my dorm. Not exactly something the Head Boy would want to be caught with."

"Ah."

"So, how about after Quidditch Practice? Wait for me if I'm not there?" Theri shrugged and I nodded mechanically, a beat too late, and he strolled off, seemingly satisfied.

Theri gave me a look. "You guys made up?"

"Not precisely, that's what's odd."

She scratched her ear. "Hm. Maybe that's the Lupin way of apologizing. Oh well, I guess we're going. Where's Hale?"

"Dunno. Probably off with Peter."

"Yeah, reckon we'll head off first."

--

I ate dinner with Hale, Dom, and some of her friends. More than half of the people we usually ate with were gong for practice, hence the second-years. Dom was highly popular in her year, being outgoing and possessing a sharp sense of humor. We looked extremely similar, with the exception of minor freckles and eye color that was three shades darker on her part (she always complained about the visible loss of pure Veela blood for her, but then again, she could move around like an average human being).

My other sibling Lou looked a lot more like our father—or what Dad used to look like before the scars. He had ginger hair that he wore a tad too long, and a generous spread of freckles. He, however, was the only one of us three who was able to mirror our mother's ease of gliding about the place. Lou, along with James and Lucy, were bound for Hogwarts next year.

After I was done eating, I chose to remain in the busy Great Hall than to wait for the Quidditch players in the common room. Hale was with me, along with Peter Davies. I snuck envious glances at them; Winchcombe wouldn't be caught dead having a casual talk of sweet nothings at the Gryffindor table. I began to read from my Potions textbook, while occasionally drifting off to my little fantasy of him sitting next to me, teasing and laughing. Why did he have to be in bloody Slytherin anyway?

When the plates magically disappeared (Merlin bless the house-elves), I decided to take that as my cue to leave. Davies had left, and so had Dom and the rest. Hale and I wandered around the halls to the Gryffindor tower, discussing—what else?—the now confirmed date of the examiners' arrivals: the twentieth of May.

"I don't really know. Pete said it wasn't all that bad as long as you controlled your nerves well. He also said to not bother sucking up…Potterwatch," she said to the Fat Lady, who swung open.

Hale proclaimed that she was going to hit the showers, and offered to take my bag up to the dorm. I agreed and made my way up to the boy's dormitories, catching curious glances from a group of sixth-years sitting next to the entrance. I ignored them and continued up the stairs.

I'd been in Ted's dormitory a few times before; four or five times, perhaps. The last time I was with all three of m roommates, when he was sick but refused to seek help from Madam Pomfrey for some noble, masculine, stupid reason. Luke had convinced us that female influence was what he needed, but he didn't trust the girls from his year enough for the task and he didn't really know the girls the year below him (and he didn't think girls three years younger and beyond could motivate Ted as much). The circular room was practically identical to our own, except a lot messier and smelled of pale cologne.

Ted wasn't there yet. I identified his bed from the trunk, and sat down for a lack of anything better to do. On one of the beds, the curtains were drawn completely. I was about to look away when the cloth fluttered, and rustling sounds slipped out. Well, either someone was asleep at eight thirty or there was some snogging going on. How awkward. But my eyes couldn't help but explore the name on the trunk sticking out from under the bed (what? Natural female curiosity).

_Lucas Wood._

What? That didn't make much sense. If Luke was here, snogging someone, then where were Ted and Theri?

A sigh escaped from behind the drapes, and I froze. Okay, so either I heard wrong, I was hallucinating, I was out of my mind, or my cousin was in Luke's bed. What the hell was she doing in _his_ bed? Impossible. I mean, the two had difficulties sitting next to each other. They would never—why was Theri snogging some random guy in Luke's bed?

Conclusion: it could not have been Theri.

A chuckle was let loose. I gasped. There was no mistaking it: the girl behind those curtains was my cousin, roommate, and best friend.

My cousin, roommate, and best friend, giggling in the bed of the man she most resented.

I realized that all movements had stopped. My gasp must have been heard. Oh Merlin, what was I supposed to do? Hide under the bed? Charge out of the room? Speak up and demand an explanation? Do nothing?

"Who's there?" Luke's voice. Oh gosh, it couldn't be.

A hand brushed apart one of the drapes. Luke's almond-colored eyes found mine and widened. "Vic!"

Caught red-handed. "Er…Luke…"

"Vic?"

"Theri…what exactly is going on?"

"Um, I…" she turned around and slapped him. He looked at her, eyes wide and almost amused. She returned to me. "Nothing."

"Yeah, I'm not going to buy that. I thought you two hated each other to the depths of hell itself!"

Luke rubbed the spot that Theri had hit on his face and turned away. I noticed that he was only wearing his school shirt and pants. His school robes and tie were discarded at the end of the bed. Theri wasn't in much of a more seeming state. She was looking at me weirdly. "It's not what you think."

"I think it's exactly what I think." Why did I say that? Now this was even more awkward.

"Well…no, I mean, this isn't…We weren't…Don't you…" Wow, Theri was stuttering? This was all so unlikely. It was probably a dream. Maybe I had fallen asleep on Ted's bed or something. Or maybe the day didn't even start yet. It was weird for him to invite me up in the first place.

"Where's Ted?" I asked suddenly.

Theri seemed glad that I had changed the subject. "Showers."

"Does he know?"

She stiffened. "There's nothing to know, Vic."

"Oh, really? So tell me—"

"Listen, Vic," Luke burst out, facing me now. "I just—" he looked at Theri. I had never seen his eyes so passionate when talking about something other than Quidditch. "—forget the agreement. It was stupid, anyway. I'm perfectly able to commit, and I still have three months left." He took Theri's arm, and she pulled away. Holy goat, this was like some sappy romance novel unfolding in front of me. "Catherine Weasley—go out with me."

She shrunk back. I'd never seen Theri so speechless. "This isn't right. None of this ever happened." She made move to storm out of the room, but Luke grabbed her by the waist and pressed his mouth against hers. When he let her go, I was sure both of them had forgotten my presence entirely. Luke had never looked so sincere in his life, I was sure, except about Quidditch commitments, of course, but his eyes said it all. Theri was now motionless as well as speechless.

I didn't want to interrupt the moment, but was struggling hard with how odd and unreal this whole situation was. "Er, what exactly never happened?"

To none of my surprise, they both stared at me, shocked to find that I was there. Theri backed up a step and spun away. "I'll tell you later, Vic, let's go." I followed her slowly, eyeing Luke, who appeared shattered.

Before I closed the door completely, I saw him kick his four-post bed, hard. His face was unreadable.

**Luke/Theri shippers, I love you guys too.**

**So is Miss Synical going to say yes? What _did _happen between them? What's Vic going to do about Winchcombe?**

**By the way, just out of curiousity. What do you guys think Ted would look like (blue hair brown eyes heart-shaped face opinion aside)?**

* * *


	9. Chapitre Neuf

**Here we go again!**

**Disclaimer: I don't live in a Scottish castle.**

**--**

"Okay, explain."

"I'm not a hypocrite," Theri said, as if that was the explanation for everything.

"Alright, so what's this business?"

"It was…November," she began hesitantly, evidently not wishing to continue. I stared at her, and she caved. "After the Slytherin game." Right, the one I didn't attend (didn't want to intervene with Hale and Peter). "As you know, we lost by ten points." Yeah, that was the end of the world for all Gryffindors. "Wood was…suicidal." Apparently. "He just sat in the changing room, staring into space. He told us all to leave, including even Ted. He didn't respond to any objections of comforting words afterwards. It was like he temporarily died."

Imaginable.

"And eventually everyone did leave, but I stayed behind because a bloody bludger cracked half the twigs of my broom." I nodded encouragingly when she paused. "Well—I don't know what go into me, but I went up to him and slapped him across the face with all my might." I could picture _that_ scene. "He looked at me as if he'd never seen me before in his life. Then he—well, he—stood up and—kissed me." At the last two words, her voice trailed off and the pitch rose so that it sounded like she was asking a question.

"And…and then?"

"I dunno. I must've gone mad. I mean, I let him. But later we both swore that kiss to secrecy and promised to not let anything of the sort to ever happen again." Theri looked more uncomfortable than ever. "You know me. I always know who I am and who I want to be, and that certainly wasn't another one of Lucas Wood's ex-girlfriends. I mean, he's not even my type. Besides, we've been on each other's bad sides almost as soon as we met. What would people think if just turned up overnight holding hands and snogging in the halls? Basically, I ran away."

And then it all made sense: why Luke was hesitant with the fraud against Rand, why Theri was so eager to leave, why she called herself pathetic, her comment on enemies falling in love, why he rejected Caitlyn, everything.

"But it happened again. And again. Somehow we'd always be left alone in a room, or run into each other on our ways somewhere. Some remark or movement would trigger…we tried to be as mean to each other as possible, but that didn't work…it was like an unbreakable force pulled us together. I thought I was going to go insane."

"Their, you could've told me. If liking Luke made you a sinner, then what the hell am I with Winchcombe?"

"Not telling you guys drove me mad as well...especially you..."

"So what are you going to say to him?"

She flinched. I'd never seen Theri so timid. I wondered how none of us ever noticed this chemistry between them—simple, they were always bickering (with quite a lot of harsh physical involvement). But what about Ted and Caitlyn, who were on the team with the both of them? Well, Caitlyn was never the observant sort, and Ted—he'd never have believed it.

Speaking of which.

"Goodness! We've completely forgotten about Ted," I exclaimed. Theri gave a small start, and grumbled about how going up to that dorm wasn't an option for her right now. I agreed to help her out and informed Ted that Theri had worked herself too hard during the practice and was now experiencing nausea. He acknowledged this with a shrug and a "next time, then", never for once mentioning our fight.

--

I snuggled against Winchcombe, taking in his scent and the recent accounts of things. We were in the grounds, on a nice, flat rock a few dozen yards behind Hagrid's hut. He had his arm around me and seemed close to sleep, but that was fine by me. Our schoolbags were left forgotten a few feet behind, and the spring breeze breathed on us. It was all, well, perfect.

Luke and Theri hadn't exchanged a single word since that fateful day from what I knew. The latter and I had reached a silent agreement to keep all this just between us. No one seemed to have noticed anything out of place, and nothing really was, except that I, too, had lost the ability to have a purely casual conversation with Luke. This came to Ted's attention.

"Please tell me that you didn't snog Luke and that's why it's so off between you two right now," he said sternly one day, completely out of the blue. Caitlyn looked skeptically at me, and Theri looked amused.

"Of course not," I responded. "I already have my beau, remember? Besides, since when were things odd between Luke and me?"

He visibly relaxed. "Good, because it'd be really freaky having one of you two being with my best mate. Not that I'm worried about Theri messing around with Luke that is…" Theri's face fell.

Meanwhile, Ted and I were pretty much fine again. The "how" part was still unclear to me, but he didn't seem to want to discuss it and so I didn't ask. The last I wanted was to have yet another brawl with him.

Winchcombe squirmed next to me and yawned, and I hid a small smile. He was still cautious about not abandoning his friends, which resulted to us only having snippets of time together. Maddening at times, especially since he still went about the school with the same old attitude, but when we were together everything was so great I couldn't think of giving it all up.

"Jules," I whispered, not my usual way of addressing him, but I'd always loved the name itself. "If you're tired, you should get some rest. We have that History of Magic test tomorrow."

He yawned again. "What's the time?"

"Past ten thirty. That means we'll have to sneak back."

"Oh, then, I'll just…" he bent forward towards me, I parted my lips slightly.

"Oh," came a laugh. I turned to find a smirking Edwena, with two other Slytherin girls with her. Winchcombe immediately let go of me and backed away.

"I'll be seeing you," he helped me up, passed me my bag, and began walking away. I followed without even bothering to pretend to be friendly to the trio that had interrupted.

--

The Fat Lady eyed me fondly.

"I'm not going to buy the library overtime thing, you know."

"Pigdoodles."

"Who's the lucky guy?"

"Pigdoodles."

"I do hope everything is age-appropriate."

"Pigdoodles!"

She swung open with a fit of giggles, ending the conversation with "He wasn't very polite to leave you to walk back alone!" I slammed her with as much force as I could utter, and stormed up the stairs to the dormitory, almost killing myself over a step on the way.

--

"What's up with you?" Theri asked me at breakfast the following morning, then murmured under her breath, "I'm supposed to be the miserable one."

"You didn't look too happy from the date last night," Hale remarked over a piece of bacon.

"Yeah, Patrick told me the Fat Lady was embarrassing you or something," Caitlyn said idly. I shrugged.

Hale was looking at Theri. "What's up with _you_? You didn't even scoff when she mentioned Patrick."

"Huh?"

"Patrick," Hale repeated slowly and loudly, as if talking to someone in need of a hearing aid. "Weaver. Remember? The one you can't look at without muttering something dark and twisty about?"

Theri scoffed this time. "What are you talking about? I'm such a happy, shiny person."

"Very funny," Caitlyn grinned. "And I'm a Squib."

"I could be convinced."

"Shut it, Prefect."

"It's about Winchcombe, isn't it?" Hale asked me, ignoring the other two.

"It's nothing. Just the usual insecure crap, I suppose."

"Oh? Do tell," said a new voice.

"Ted, in the name of Merlin's most daft and pimply hag of an ex-girlfriend, sod off."

"No." Brusque.

"What do you want?" asked Theri, checking her watch.

"I didn't kiss Luke," I declared when his gaze stopped on me.

"No, it's not that," he chuckled grimly. "I…just might have slipped the unfortunate fact of you dating a certain Slytherin to my grandmother."

"Ted!"

"Relax, she might not tell your grandmum, who might not tell your parents, who might not tell Lou, who might not tell James, who might not tell Albus and Lily, who might not tell Hugo and Rose, who might not tell Ron, who might not send a howler…"

"Ted!" I shrilled, the possibilities forming in my head. "I don't think my parents even know I date!"

"Well then, you should've told them," he rose and left the Great Hall. I wanted to chase after him and beat him to death or at least make him puke slugs for a week. The bleeding prat!

Theri was looking at me weirdly. "What's gotten into his pants lately? He's been so strange…"

"Girls, I think," Hale commented. "I heard from a sixth-year that the 'break' didn't work out after all. You're a bit flushed, Vic, you okay?"

I looked at her. "Hell no."

--

I emerged from the stuffy classroom, slightly dazed. I must have messed up at least three of the dates of war, as well as many of the names of those dratted goblins, but I had gotten over that. Freaking out was never the answer to anything, Victoire. It's detrimental to your health and it didn't fix things. So don't…

Screw it, screw it, screw it! How could I mistake August Ninth for September eighth? They're not _that_ alike anyway!

"Weasley?"

"Winchcombe! How was the test? I mean, the test was horrible. I couldn't remember a thing…must've failed. Swear to Merlin I failed."

"Gee, thanks for the encouragement. I feel more than confident about taking it now," he replied sarcastically, but not without a smile. "Hey, maybe on Easter, we could do something fun, like—"

"Did you forget, Jules?" The very unwelcome voice belonging to Edwena Yule entered. "Oh, or were you not coming to the party in _our_ common room in the first place? What a shame. Jerold and Rupert were positive you would grant _us_ your presence. Oh, well, I guess I'll go tell them otherwise, then."

Winchcombe looked truly shocked. He shifted his feet nervously on the spot and looked at the smug Edwena (that flipping whore), and then at me. I saw what was coming before he even opened his mouth.

"I'd completely forgotten," his eyes were filled with sheepish guilt when they met mine. "I'm so sorry. Maybe some day during the holidays, you think?"

"Is this party honestly going to last all day?" I prompted, trying to conceal the desperation and disappointment in my voice.

"Slytherin parties _always_ last all day," Edwena's nasal reply came in his stead. "_Everyone_ knows that. Well, everyone of _us_ that is."

"I'll be there, Edwena," Winchcombe spat. "You can go assure Jerold and Rupert now." The hag took her cue and left us with one last evil snicker sent in my direction. That was it. I'll go rip her pale, conceited little face into a trillion piece and give them to Peeves to dispose in the—

"I truly am sorry."

I snapped back from some satisfying and gory mental images. "Oh…can't your friends do without you for one single day?"

"Victoire," he sighed. I noted the use of my Christianed name. "They're already uncomfortable enough with this, you know that."

"Alright, yeah, you've made your point. Several times." That came out harsher than I should've reacted. What was I expecting anyway? This was all just infuriating. "I get it. I'll see you around." I turned on my heels and began to leave, catching him letting out another deep sigh. I stopped in mid-step and spun back around, my heart pounding.

--

"Vic, what's wrong?" My three best friends rushed over to me as I entered the common room.

Strange, I thought the spell had done the job. Were they still that puffy and red? I guess I never had much practice on that one.

"Nothing," I chocked out, my voice breaking despite myself.

"It certainly doesn't look like that," Hale said. "Or sound it."

I looked at her blankly. "I'm single."

--

**For those who are interested, this and chapter 8 were supposed to be one. But it was a bit too long for my taste. Besides, I know how much everyone just LOVES cliffhangers (that was a sarcastic comment, in case you really lack a sense of sarcasm, which would be a shame since you'd be missing out a lot in this story).**

**So Winchcombe's out of the picture. Now what?**

**Alright, I'll give a little hint:**

_No, honestly. It was all the breaking up and the hugs. Really nice-smelling hugs. They reminded me of Winchcombe's, and that was it. That must have been it. Because I would never, never, ever have any feelings of that sort for Ted Remus Lupin. _

_Never._

* * *


	10. Chapitre Dix

**And after many short(er) chapters (a.k.a 2000 words ones), finally a long one.**

**I LOVE the review I've been getting! Thanks so much! And many thanks to those who added me to their C2s (:**

**Disclaimer: Neither of my grandmothers are named Kathleen.**

**--**

Easter could not have had better timing. The vacation came only two days after the miserable watery event, and so I was allowed to sulk out of the teachers' sights all I wanted.

I didn't think I'd ever been so shaken up over a break-up. It was much more of a Haley/Caitlyn thing to do. Theri and I were the more oblivious half of the quartet. I knew the reason was that the one with Jules Winchcombe was the best relationship I'd ever been in so far, despite the impediments. My friends, bless them, could see that I preferred being left alone just then to being piled with attention. They gave me space and didn't ask many questions after fifteen minutes of prodding about the proceedings:

"Vic, it's better to let it out than to hold it in," Hale urged softly.

"Just save us the benefit of doubt for the sake of this dorm room?" Theri inquired lightly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I blinked and told them of the Edwena and the stupid Slytherin Easter party incident, and me turning away, and the sigh I heard, and the sudden tremor of anger that flowed through me.

I told them of how I'd turn around and told him, my voice thick of mock and infuriation, something along the lines of, "Listen, if being with me and talking to me has become such a heavy burden for you and is crushing your poor heart that is so _split_ and _torn_ between your little slithy, slimy, sickening, stupid Slytherin friends and me, then I'd say it's about time that I made the choice for you, since you obviously are not capable of making a proper decision of any sort. _Let me go_. Because despite how great you are as an individual, this _package_ you come with"—I noted that at this point a gave a shocked Edwena a disgusted glare— "and your twenty thousand gallons of sensitivity you keep towards your friends and the little tablespoon you contain for me is enough to make me _sick_. In fact, with the treatment I'd been getting, I'm surprised someone hasn't given me a Merlin Peace Prize for not slaughtering all of your impressive and impermeable little _gang_!" He'd looked at me as if he'd never seen me before, shock and hurt scrawled across his face that was then extremely pale. I'd turn on my heels for the second time then and stormed away without pausing or turning back again.

My three best friends applauded me for my reactions then, and never inquired about the break-up again, which I loved them for.

My sister and cousins must've heard of my once-again single status (I couldn't bear to think of the gossip and Edwena's triumphant grins), but didn't say anything to me on the subject either. Ted was as sympathetic as he, being his stubborn self, could be. He hardly insulted Winchcombe, and didn't tease me once. He also (not unexpectedly) assured me more than several times that I was much better off this way. Theri had shoved him away at that.

I indulged myself in my studies and vowed to go through the entire holiday without shedding another tear. Hale and I began seeing less and less of our two other friends—the Quidditch final was set on April twenty-eighth, Gryffindor vs. Slytherin, and Luke wasn't about to let them off easy. Gryffindor was a hundred-ninety points behind cup-wise (due to the game lost in November and Slytherins crushing Hufflepuff), and so Ted was given daily (more like hourly) warnings to only ever catch the snitch when they were ahead by at least fifty points.

On the night of the second-to-last day of the holidays, I'd fallen asleep in the common room while reading (common habit lately) without bathing. It was two in the morning when I woke and I was quick to pick up my washing things and run to the shower rooms. I didn't think I would find Ted in the front room of the Gryffindor showers, doing push-ups on the floor.

In nothing but a pair of boxers.

I'd let out a small shriek when I noticed human life as I entered, and he stopped his exercise to look at me. He appeared as shocked as I was. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"I couldn't sleep, so I was planning to burn off some fat and then shower directly afterwards."

There was unquestionably no need for _that_. I didn't think I'd seen Ted this bare since I was eleven or twelve. I had to admit, he was hot. Deadly, sinfully, mind-bogglingly hot. His abs looked carved and his biceps were as perfect as can be, not too muscular but just right. Honestly, _those_ were the arms that hugged me? Theri and I were way luckier than we thought.

Ted noticed where I was staring at. He grinned widely. "Like what you see?" I made an incomprehensible sound, knowing I must have been as red as the setting sun, and seated myself in a wooden bench a few feet away from him. He laughed heartily. "By the way, I didn't morph this. I prefer it the honest way."

"Right."

"Sorry to appear so indecorous. I wasn't expecting company."

"No problem."

He laughed again, draped a towel over his perfectly shaped shoulders and arms, and sat next to me. I noted with amazement that even when covered in sweat, my nose still had access to the usual scent of shampoo, laundry, and cologne (and I hated to admit this, but I'd always loved how Ted smelled). No wonder the female Hogwarts population thought him perfect: he was pretty damn close. I saw that he was still grinning.

"What's so funny?"

"Your expression." He doubled over with laughter. Hot or not, I could kill him right that moment. "Just how did you suppose I attract so many young women…and elderly ones? Just the face and the charm?" he asked shamelessly when he was done laughing. I seethed in response. "Alright, fine. Don't amuse me. If you're not going to appreciate this, I'm covering it up." He pulled a t-shirt over his head.

"I showed you mine, you show me yours." I slapped him hard on the knee. He winced but smiled. "Fine, be that way. Spoilsport."

I stuck my tongue out at him and quickly departed to one of the cubicles, trying hard not to picture his Greek God torso in my head as I turned on the shower.

--

"Vic?"

_Go away. Let me sleep, for Merlin's sake._

"Vic?"

_Stop prodding me. What's your bloody problem?_

"Oi, Victoire."

_Alright, alright, I'll open my eyes. Stop the poking already_.

I whisk of sunlight escaped through the heavy curtains of the common room. At first I wondered why my dorm had been refurnished, and then I realized. I looked to my right to see who had woke me.

Well, who else? But of course Ted Lupin. "Morning."

"Morning to you too," he grinned. "I thought your purposes of going to the showers was so you could actually go to _bed_."

"I fell asleep again trying to finish that book I fell asleep reading in the first place."

"Must be an awful book."

I shrugged and observed my surroundings once more. "Where did the blanket come from?"

"Not me. Probably a house-elf." And this is why I couldn't understand why people only laughed at that association Aunt Hermione started for house-elf rights. They were by far one of the greatest magical creatures ever.

I looked at Ted. His milk chocolate eyes were glittering with amusement, though I certainly didn't see anything amusing. Did I have awful bed head or something? His face was glowing under the dim sunlight, his features emphasized by it instead of blurred. The perfect brows, the large, long-lashed eyes, the bold nose, the full lips, all framed in a rather heart-shaped face. Wait, why was I scrutinizing him?

"Do you really want me to shut up that much?" he was saying. I noted with a start that I had laid my index finger on his lower lip subconsciously. I quickly removed it and looked away, damning myself for blushing.

Ted grinned. He was still in his boxers, along with a loose t-shirt with a Chinese Fireball printed on it (his favorite dragon). I inquired about his casual wear. "I was just getting water," he explained. "It's only four in the morning, a time when everyone is supposedly sleeping in their own beds upstairs."

"Shut up." Wait, that's not right. Today was… "Holy goat! Ted, it's your birthday!"

He seemed even more amused. "Yes, I know. And the general reference is cow, not goat."

"No, I actually finished wrapping your present. Wait here, don't move." He put up his hands in mock surrender and I ran up the stairs to the girl's dormitories to search for his present. I discovered it under a stack of clothes. It had been there since after Christmas Holidays, when I first got the idea. I raced back downstairs and almost tumbled at the last step. I gave him the evil eye, seeing his expression. "Here you go, my dearest prat."

"An eighteen-years-old and very charming prat, if you please," he began unwrapping it. Courtesy and reserves between him, Theri and I had evaporated a long time ago. He stopped talking, however, as soon as he set his eyes on the contents in the box. "Vic…this…I can't…"

I smiled, and he folded me into his arms. "You like it, then? You don't think it's too feminine?"

"Stop your trap and the squirming and let me hold you." I laughed and wrapped my arms around his waist as well. After a while, he let go of me. "And no, I don't think it's too feminine at all. But be careful and get yourself ready, because lockets are going to be in style as soon as someone sees me wearing this."

He struggled with the clip as he tried to put it on, and I leaned over his shoulder to do it for him. It was maddening how great his hair smelled this close up, though I had no idea why I was thinking that. This was just…Ted.

"Where did you get the picture?" he had opened the locket again and was looking at the picture inside. It was a miniature copy of the one his father was carrying in his pocket the night he was killed: baby Ted with a large tuff of turquoise hair. I knew it was one of his all-time favorites, and that he cherished the original like nothing else.

"I had to get help from your grandmother. After all, you did keep it in that extravagant frame of yours in your room. I had no access. I just wanted to give you something special after what you gave me for Christmas."

"Vic, this is way better than what I gave you. Now I have to make it up to you again."

"If we're going to count the things you need to make up to me, we'd be here the whole week," I said fondly, and he hugged me again. This time tighter, and I couldn't breathe (not because I was thinking of anything, but literally). I pushed him away, but I didn't think he noticed.

"I love you, you know that?"

"Oh, stop it," I mimed comical modesty, and he chuckled, his hand still rested on the chain. I dared not share with him the churning of my stomach at his words. Instead, I escaped to (finally) my bed soon afterwards, still wondering about the strange twists and turns my stomach endured.

I just seriously couldn't be shallow enough to start feeling shy around Ted after seeing his physique. No, honestly. It was all the breaking up and the hugs. Really nice-smelling hugs. They reminded me of Winchcombe's, and that was it. That must have been it. Because I would never, never, ever have any feelings of that sort for Ted Remus Lupin.

Never.

I had a rough time sleeping afterwards, and was relieved when the others got up and we could grab some breakfast. We spent a short while marveling at Ted's mountain of birthday presents (from the entire Weasley family, his friends, as well as a large population of admirers) on the Gryffindor table, and later Hale excused herself to the Ravenclaw table to be with her boy. Caitlyn was pulled away by her first-year brother for an anonymous reason, and that was when I told Theri about my little detour last night. She seemed amused.

"Of course I know he's got the perfect body. The boys don't really bother covering up their upper bodies in the changing room."

I swallowed. "Don't you feel a little…odd…when he hugs you? When you know what's underneath?" I asked a little hopefully. She cocked her head in thought.

"No, not really. I mean, the growing up together kinda takes the excitement out of it."

"Oh. I mean yeah, same here."

"Gotta admit though, he smells good."

"Doesn't he?" I agreed. I had a thing for good-smelling boys. But not this one. Definitely not this one.

Caitlyn sat back down across from me. "Who are we talking about?"

"What did he want?"

She rolled her eyes. "He ripped his pants at a sensitive spot and needed help. So what's up?"

"Vic bumped into Ted three-quarters naked last night."

Caitlyn grinned knowingly. "Like what you saw?"

"You sound like him," I muttered darkly.

"You know who else has a perfect body?" she asked, and I shook my head, even though I did (Winchcombe…Rand…). "Captain Wood. I've seen it—well, not all of it. But what I saw was flawless. Poked him in the stomach once, almost shattered my finger. Hard without even flexing, those abs were."

"Caitlyn, I think your owl just sky-dived into some poor Hufflepuff's plate," I observed over her shoulder. Caitlyn frowned in annoyance and rushed over. Stew the owl had always been a rather confused creature, poor thing. I noticed how Theri hadn't said a word. "Well?"

"It is flawless," she said calmly without meeting my eyes. "_All_ of it."

I spat out what I was chewing. "Catherine Weasley, you did _not_."

She burst out laughing at my reaction. "No I didn't. But the abs, I did. They weren't just hard, either," her eyes twinkled. "They were _rock_ hard."And there after a little pause, we both cracked up.

--

"_Welcome to our last match of the year, the one that will determine our champion,_" Dom's voice boomed through the entire Quidditch pitch. Hale and I sat down in the audience seats, alone since Peter had a detention for being caught in school grounds after lights-out (after meeting with Hale). "_Gryffindor vs. Slytherin!_"

Everyone roared, waving banners or flags. It appeared that all Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had decided to take Gryffindor's side instead of remaining neutral. The red and gold around the audience ring was blinding, only intruded by spots of green and silver. Hale and I waved our miniature lion flags in the air, cheering like everyone else.

Madam Spinnet walked into the center of the pitch, whistle in hand. The two teams filed in, their faces dead serious. The stadium roared again. The coach kicked open the box containing the balls and let out the Snitch and the Bludgers with a wave of her wand. The previous shot out and disappeared among the clouds, whilst the latter two zoomed about the lower part of the stadium dangerously.

"Alright Captains, shake hands," she ordered. Luke and Zabini (his dad was an idiot Death Eater wannabe if I'd ever heard of one) stepped up, wringing each other's hands, faces hostile and veins popping. When they let go, Madam Spinnet continued. "Mount your brooms…" They did. "Get set…" They crouched. She blew her whistle and threw the Quaffle into the air simultaneously, and Dom's voice boomed again.

"_Let the match begin! Currently Gryffindor is behind Slytherin by a hundred-ninety points in running for the cup, but of course, the Gryffindor team has a great chance. The house has not seen a better team in years. So now we should just sit back and watch the Slytherins get—_ouch, Professor Longbottom. Just trying to loosen up the mood—_Anyway, Gryffindor in possession of the Quaffle. Captain Wood, I mean. Passes to Abigail Finnegan, who passes back to—nope, excellent false move, passes to Caitlyn Bristow. Bristow goes for it and—oh, fended off by Jerold Zabini. How strange, usually he lets everything in—_sorry, Professor, my fault—_Slytherin in possession…_"

I watched Jules Winchcombe zoom past me, Quaffle in hand. I couldn't help but frown at his concentration, wondering why he never put that sort of energy into me. No, stop it, Victoire. This wasn't healthy at all.

"..._Jules Winchcombe. The guy is sort of an obnoxious gi—_OUCH, Professor! Prodding people with the tip of your wand can cause serious damage, sir!"

"Dom!" I gasped. Did she honestly insult Winchcombe in front of the whole school? I knew exactly why. I was supposed to be the protective sister, not her! Hale shrugged at me, finding this all incredibly funny.

"Your sister's got talent," she remarked affectionately.

"_Alright, alright. He passes to Nicolas Pratt,_" she pulled on a snicker at his surname, but didn't comment (probably scared she'll lose the position if she did). "_But no, a Bludger for Fred Weasley. Gryffindor in possession—Finnegan passes to Bristow. Abigail is the youngest member on the team, only a second-year—Bristow passes to Wood, who passes back over the head of Slytherin Chaser Sophia Bynes. Bristow dodges a Bludger sent by Vince Goyle and—no, she doesn't—yes, she does! Ten to zero to Gryffindor!_

"_Once again, Jules Winchcombe in possession. He's going to—never mind, he keeps going. He shoots—a perfect catch by Catherine Weasley! Still ten to zero, Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin, no, back to Gryffindor—you go Wood—_"

The match worn on, intensity hanging in the air, as well as Ted. What I meant was that he was at least five feet about everyone, looking around the pitch and staying out of trouble. The old Seeker trick, I suppose. The Slytherin Seeker, Jessica Jensen, a fourth-year who was an inevitable airhead plus Edwena Yule wannabe, hovered a few feet below him, following the exact same tactic.

"_Oh, ouch! A Bludger strikes Weasley square in the stomach. I wonder if she's okay—and if that was legal? It was? Oh, then I guess thirty to thirty with Gryffindor in possession…_"

"Do you reckon Theri's fine?" Hale asked me worriedly. Theri was bent over, holding her stomach, and giving death glares to the Beater who had attacked her.

"Yeah, she's tough enough." _I hope_.

"_Forty-thirty to Slytherin_," Dom reported sullenly. "_The blow must have hurt after all. But—aha! Forty-forty! Beautiful shot by Bristow. OH, NO! That's—YES! He shoots, he scores! Captain Wood gains another ten points for Gryffindor!_"

The match continued, the points flying back and forth. At one point, when Abigail scored another shot, and we were in the lead by fifty, Ted dived.

"_He saw something, definitely! Yes, I believe he—what? WHAT ARE YOU DOING, JENSEN?_"

Jessica Jensen had grabbed on to the handle of Ted's broom and was riding along, arm outstretched, apparently hoping to not spend an effort to get to the Snitch. Ted turned back, looking like he was going to hit her, but Madam Spinnet blew the whistle for a penalty and distracted him.

"_Foul, foul act!_" Dom was saying fervently. _"Not that we were expecting anything more coming from the Slytherin team, that is!_" I waited for Professor Longbottom to poke her with his wand warningly, but he was yelling at the Slytherin Seeker from the commentator's box, his round face flushed. _"Bristow's going to take the shot. An excellent player, she is. Started last year and has never let Gryffindor down—YES! SHE SCORES! ONE HUNDRED TO FORTY FOR GRYFFINDOR!_"

Hale and I bounced up and down in our seats for our friend as she did a loop in the sky for celebration. Ted was up high again, seething, searching once again for the Snitch that had went missing.

"_One hundred to fifty…Gryffindor can win the cup any moment now. As long as Lupin manages to—Bristow dives, but no, Winchcombe steals the Quaffle—ah, Bludger from Roberts knocks it—Finnegan in possession—charges, passes to Wood—to Bristow—Finnegan—go away, Goyle. Ah, timely Bludger from Freddie Weasley—back to Wood. he sco—_"

There was a magical moment when less than half of the audience noticed the action many feet above the Chasers, Beaters, and Keepers: Teddy Lupin had charged up, closely pursued by Jessica Jensen, and was raising a triumphant arm in the air, shouting something inaudible.

"_What? I don't believe it! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! LUPIN CATCHES THE SNITCH—GRYFFINDOR—GRYFFINDOR HAS WON THE CUP! TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY POINTS TO SLYTHERIN'S MERE FIFTY! WE'VE WON IT! WE'VE WON THE CUP! WE'VE WON THE DARN CUP!_"

I let out a scream and jumped out of my seat, turning to see a just as thrilled Hale, and we hugged, bouncing up and down, screaming our heads off. The stadium exploded along with us. Everyone except for the Slytherins and most of the professors (remaining neutral, blah blah blah) were jumping up and down, laughing and cheering. Forget banning house-prejudice, this was great. Dom was jumping on the desk of the commentary box, and then hopped off to pull Professor Longbottom into a hyper victory dance.

A few rows in front o us Hagrid had let out a thunderous roar and was giving several second-years a massive bear hug. Molly was jumping hysterically in her seat with a few other third-years, her nails digging into her cheeks in her excitement. Slytherin had been hogging the cup for two years in a row now (Luke's greatest regret), and now, _at last_!

I saw the Slytherin team landing to spit on the ground, pulling on murderous faces. The Gryffindor team, meanwhile, had landed and were hugging and some crying. Luke looked like he was more than ready compete with Moaning Myrtle. All three of the girls were weeping as well, and I was sure Theri hadn't cried since second year. The audience was allowed on the pitch, and hundreds of students including Hale and I raced to congratulate the team, who were moving towards Professor McGonagall with the giant, shining trophy.

When Luke held the trophy into the air, tears still pouring down his front, the entire (well, close) stadium exploded once again. Even louder this time, if possible. Caitlyn came running to hug us, unable to form coherent words. When she let go, I was pulled into yet another group hug by Dom, Molly, and Freddie. I congratulated him heartily, but he didn't seem to trust himself to speak, and just nodded continuously. I left him to his friends, and looked up to see Ted raised in the air by a group of male students, holding the Snitch above his head. They let him down, and after a few slaps on the back and chest-bumps, he made his way towards me.

I smiled my biggest at him, and ran into his arms. He spun me in the air until I was dizzy, and I managed to plant kisses on both his cheeks before he was hauled away by a group of eager fangirls. I began searching for Theri, who proved to be not hard to track down. All around me a silent surge went through the crowds as their eyes found her as well.

Theri was on the platform where the cup had been delivered, held in the arms of Luke Wood. All around me jaws dropped as they kissed as if their lives depended on it in front of practically the whole school. After all, their hostility towards each other had been common knowledge among the students. Molly looked like her eyeballs could fall out any minute, whilst Hale, Caitlyn and Ted had their mouths hanging to almost below their collar bones. Theri and Luke either didn't notice the quietness, or didn't care. They were both still holding their brooms and the trophy, and the fact that the whole school was watching them didn't seem to bother them at all.

Feeling as if it was time for a little distraction, I bellowed "Gryffindor!" and the crowds burst into celebration once more.

As I watched Theri and Luke pull apart slowly, looking into each other's eyes (he'd stopped crying), I was sure this was by far one of the best days in my life.

--

**The reason why it was so long is mainly because of the match. I love writing Quidditch matches.**

**By the way, I've put up a little character profile on my profile. After being asked how to pronounce Theri (Theh-ree), I thought I'd put something of the sort up. It's only extra reference and for fun though.**


	11. Chapitre Onze

**(:**

**Disclaimer: Sorry to disappoint, but I still haven't turned into J.K.R. overnight...I'm working on it...**

--

That was what I thought, anyway.

Until Caitlyn came barging into the dorm at three in the morning (Hale and I had given up to remaining in the party and retreated to our room), bouncing in joy.

"I've got a date to the May Second Ball!"

Ball? What Ball? Ball when?

"What's wrong, Vic? You look confused."

Oh, _that_ Ball. "May second…"

Caitlyn looked at me weirdly. "Yes, your birthday. Also the day when we celebrate the victory over Voldemort. The May Second Victory Ball, remember?"

I nodded. Of course I remembered. It was just late, hence the slow reaction. "Why did you get a date so early?"

Caitlyn and Hale both laughed. "Vic, it's in four days," Hale reasoned.

Four…_f__our days_?

"I…I haven't even begun to…I mean I threw away all the letters of proposal!" I wailed. Great, no date. Well, there was no one I really wanted to go with, anyway, but still. It was school tradition, and my birthday. I deserved to have a date to a ball on my birthday. Well, I always have Ted as a last resort.

"So who are you going with?" Hale inquired, rubbing her eyes.

"Ted!"

Oh.

_Oh_.

Well, why not? Ted was just about _the_ bachelor, and they'd been on the Gryffindor team together for years. Ted was exactly Caitlyn's type, and she was a nice girl he knew he could trust. So why not?

I'll tell you why not. What about me? Who the hell was I supposed to go with now?

"Just as friends, though." The words weren't supposed to, but they unclenched my stomach.

"That's fantastic, Caitlyn," I congratulated, for a lack of better things to say.

"Well, Vic, who are you going with?"

"I just told you, I completely forgot about this. I have to start looking now," I moaned. Caitlyn looked around the room.

"Don't tell me," she gasped, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Theri isn't back yet? She's still out with Luke?"

Hale and I nodded, both our faces impish. "I do hope she doesn't cross any big lines, though," Hale noted. Caitlyn was ecstatic.

"This is so great, this thing between them. Wonder how none of us ever saw it. I wonder where they are. Maybe the astronomy tower, or near the lake on the tree-covered side. Empty classrooms are probably too risky for our dearest Prefect's tastes."

"So you're not angry at all?" I asked tentatively. She looked shocked.

"Why would I be angry?"

Hale shrugged. "Well, won't you suppose this thing between them is the reason why he, you know, said no to you?"

Caitlyn looked at us as if we were insane. "Why should I care? They obviously love each other much more than I'd ever felt for Luke, so of course they deserve to be together. And to think now we don't even have to listen to them fight! It's all perfect." And that was why we loved good ol' Caitlyn.

As if on cue, Theri opened the door and entered, her face flushed. "So tell us," Hale urged as soon as she closed the door.

"We didn't do anything much, really," Theri admitted, but she was blushing as deep as her hair. "We talked a lot—don't think we'll ever stop teasing each other, you lot—" ("Teasing," scoffed Hale, "nothing but passive teasing, eh?") "–and well, had a little physical involvement, but it wasn't much. No, honestly!" she asserted when all three of us smirked. "And he's taking me to the ball, that's all."

Ugh, the ball. What would happen if I decided not to go? Well, that was easy. I would be slaughtered by my three best friends at first notice, no doubt about that. Besides, Mum had already lent me the dress, the same one that she had worn to the Yule Ball in her Triwizard Tournament year. It was knee-high and made of a beautiful, willowy, shimmery material and clung onto me perfectly. Even I, who had always been reluctant to flaunt my looks because of the taunting from Ted and Theri since early childhood, had admired myself in the mirror for a full twenty minutes when I first tried it on.

So, here was the dilemma: who to go with? If this was three weeks ago, the answer would've been easy. But now I was single, Rand had proved to be an idiot, Theri was going with Luke, and Caitlyn was going with Ted, I had no one who would go with me without making a huge deal out of it. I had no one I fancied (because what I'd been feeling for Ted was just him being too nice and me feeling lonely, and they were simply wrong signs sent at the wrong times), and I truly didn't feel like just going with some random guy.

Now what?

--

To my surprise, I had been assaulted by two requests to the ball by the end of the next day (had these guys completely forgotten about it as I had?), but I had turned the both down, seeing as I knew nothing more about them other than their names. Neither was in Gryffindor, nor had any classes with me as far as I knew. Why would they even want to go with me? They didn't know me any more than I knew them.

The May Second Victory Ball had always been quite an excitement. First of all, it was formal and everyone had to dress up. Secondly, we got the afternoon of the day off, for there was always a ceremony in the afternoon which the whole school had to attend to honor the heroes who had sacrificed their lives to the Battle of Hogwarts. We also got the following morning off, since they ball always lasted till midnight and wasn't always on a weekend. Thirdly, a date was pretty much required.

Sucked to be me.

Only third-years and above were permitted to attend, unless they had a date of the allowed age. I, however, saw Dom receiving a giant box from our mother one morning containing a teal silk dress. I walked over and asked her about it.

She blushed crimson. "Someone might've asked me," she muttered.

"What? Who?"

"Sean Thomas. I'm trusting Aunt Ginny on this."

"What d'you mean?"

"She dated his dad once, apparently."

"And how old is this Sean?"

"He's a third-year…"

"Is he the kid who hangs around Fred?" I squinted my eyes, trying to recall Fred and Molly's gang.

"Well, yeah…he said he likes my commentaries…"

"Well, don't let me catch you doing anything inappropriate—"

"Vic, go away and get a date," she shrilled, shoving me away. Gee, little sisters. How impolite and ungrateful. I was beginning to understand how Ted felt about Theri and me.

"Did I hear right, Vic?" A rather unfamiliar masculine voice sounded behind me. I turned to find the Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain, my date to the ball in my third year, and the guy who took my first French kiss, Daniel Ackers. "Victoire Weasley without a date, on the third day counting down to the ball?"

"Always the subtle gentleman, Dan," I didn't have as much to do with him after being caught snogging him by Ted, but we still exchanged a few words from time to time when our paths crossed.

"That is true," he was wearing a grin. Ackers wasn't handsome—not really. He wasn't bad-looking or anything, but he wasn't one of the truly gorgeous boys like Ted, Rand, or Davies were. He was incredibly fit, though, like any other Quidditch Captain. "How would you like to go to the ball with me, then?"

I widened my eyes at him. _He _couldn't possibly not have a date. He got good grades and he was the Captain, for Merlin's sakes. And scratch what I said before, he was handsome, just not beautiful. Well, I didn't really have a choice, did I? The ball was arriving more than soon, and apparently no one I actually talked to was going to ask me (or maybe they did and I threw the letter away, but whatever), so… "As friends?"

"Why not?"

"Okay then."

"Okay then." He walked back to his seat at the Ravenclaw table, seemingly satisfied. I pursed my lips and analyzed my situation. Hm, not bad at all. I allowed myself a quick smile before returning to my seat next to Theri, who was laughing alongside Luke. _Perfect_, I thought to myself. _Case solved. Court is adjourned_.

--

"Up? Or down?" I asked a Theri who was obviously not listening and carefully applying mascara to her lashes (she wasn't all that great with makeup). I turned to Caitlyn, but she was in the bathroom and was cursing over her nail, which was broken. Seeing that this was not a good time, I dropped my question on Hale, who pulled my hair up in a loose bun and then let it down.

"Up," she decided. "But loose. Leave a few strands. Not like Theri's."

Theri had miraculously managed to shape her wild red curls into a sleek, glossy, and elegant bun. Her dress was very simple in style, strapless, and was a very pale yellow. Her makeup matched (which she was cautiously applying over the mirror), and she was wearing a pair of petite diamond earrings and a necklace with a single diamond drop. She looked absolutely stunning.

Caitlyn had fixed her nail and was hobbling out, trying to pull on a pair of heels. Her dress was coral, which matched magnificently with her sandy hair, which she had clipped half up and allowed the other half to fall in wavy curls. She was looking highly graceful as well, if she wasn't jumping around on one leg with shoes dangling from her arms, and cussing maniacally under her breath. Hale was more grown-up than I'd ever seen her. Her dress was emerald and gleamed when she moved. She had straightened her already straight hair even more, and it looked unreal.

I had the dress on and everyone agreed I looked amazing in it; my earrings were given to me by Aunt Gabrielle for my last birthday, and the necklace for the same occasion by Grandma Delacour (they must've bought them together). I was sad to take off Ted's present, but it didn't really match everything else.

We were finally ready to descend down the stairs, and Ted and Luke were waiting at its end. Ted complimented all of us, but Luke only had eyes for Theri. He was staring at her with such awe in his eyes that she started laughing, linking her arm with his. Both of them were in black tuxedos, Luke with a dark red and gold tie (always the Gryffindor supporter) and Ted with a dark blue one that matched his hair. He winked at Theri, and then explained that it was her birthday present to him.

We climbed out of the portrait hole, and Hale and I met the Ravenclaws in the lobby. Ackers looked at me with admiration. He was also in a black suit, with (huh, I wonder) a silver tie.

"Why hello, milady," he bowed dramatically, and I curtsied with a mockingly sweet smile. "If I knew you were going to look like that, I would never had agreed to the friend part of all this."

I took the arm he offered. "Well, too late, my dear friend. Shall we?"

He shrugged and led me into the Great Hall, where everything was decorated dramatically luxurious as always. The walls were pale gold (Theri could blend in if not for the hair), and flamboyant flowers hung in the air, their colors vivid. Even the tablecloths were the same shade of gold, as well as the menus resting on the plate.

We joined Caitlyn, Ted, Hale, Peter, Theri, and Luke. The boys did not appear to mind the choice of companions at all, and we could enjoy without feeling selfish. After the highly filling meal, the dance floor opened and Professor McGonagall stepped in to lead the first dance with Professor Reed. After a minute, couples began to file in, moving along to the waltz. Theri pulled a mumbling Luke along, but he couldn't resist any of her suggestions with how she looked that night. Peter offered Hale his hand, and Ted and Caitlyn soon followed suit. Ackers' eyes wandered towards mine questioningly, and I raised a hand so he could take it.

After three songs, I pulled him to a stop. The previous two had been fast-moving tunes, and we were both breathing heavily. We settled back to our table to have a drink and to calm down, and moments later Caitlyn and Ted joined us.

"I noticed Theri and Luke have snuck out again," Caitlyn commented brightly. I looked at Ted, expecting a scowl or grunt, but he merely grinned good-naturedly.

"That's not fair," I told him as Ackers and Caitlyn began to discuss the Quidditch match in which Theri and Luke had kissed. "You burst like a freaking Wizard cracker when I snogged Winchcombe and you don't even do so much as frown when Theri and Luke are possibly sneaking about the school grounds at night?"

He shrugged. "I trust Luke. He's my best mate."

I arched an eyebrow. "So you don't trust my choice of boys?"

His eyes twinkled in amusement. "Don't be silly, Vic, of course I trust you. I know you liked him better than all your other little…flings."

"You speak as if I don't know the first thing about relationships."

"I don't either."

"I thought you claim to be the master of relationships, the God of emotional manipulation, and the ultimate magnet of women of all ages?"

Ted laughed heartily at this, again out of my expectations. "You flatter me, Victoire. I'll let you in on my little secret: I've never, ever loved any of the girls I've dated. I may have liked them, but I've never felt that I irrevocably and unconditionally _loved_ one."

He turned his face away then, my cue for not replying. That was convenient, seeing as I had no idea what to say. I didn't love any of my boyfriends either? I might have had a chance to love Winchcombe but I never did and never will? I didn't think I would ever find someone I love within these enchanted walls? I love you, Ted?

_Huh_?

That did not just come out of my mouth.

Oh, it didn't.

That did not just come across my mind.

_Did not_.

I found myself blushing furiously, and wanted to slap my cheeks, only that would potentially appear odd to my companions. I distracted myself by endeavoring to join Daniel and Caitlyn's conversation. I was pleased and vaguely surprised to see that they weren't conversing at all, but instead both were doubling over with laughter at something one of them had said. I couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight of them, slapping their knees and pointing at each other unbelievingly.

"You—did not!" gasped Caitlyn.

"Yes! And—he didn't even—notice!" They both cracked up again, and Caitlyn tried to calm herself down by breathing evenly, but failed miserably.

When they had both subdued to being able to sit upright again (Ted was lost in thought, staring up at the stars in the sky of the charmed ceiling), I seized the chance of a new upcoming song to ask Daniel if he would join me. He looked pleasantly surprised and trailed after me to the dance floor, after a quick "be right back" at Caitlyn and a Ted who wasn't listening. I made sure we were standing in the middle of the bouncing crowd before I leaned into his ear.

"You should ask her to dance with you," I said, my voice muffled by the blasting music.

"What?"

"You should ask Caitlyn to dance with you," I repeated, turning up my voice by a notch. His eyes caught mine, full of hard surprise.

"Why?"

I laughed at his indifference. "You may not have noticed, but you two obviously like each other. Caitlyn hasn't shared that with a proper guy for some time and I really would like her to be as happy as she was tonight every night."

He shifted on his feet hesitantly. "But…I'm with you."

"As friends," I reminded.

Ackers pursed his lips in a manner that showed he was trying not to smile. "You know, I was sure I could change your mind about that 'friend' part by the end of tonight."

"You haven't failed, just change the target."

"What…what about Ted?"

"They're only here as friends, too." His shoulders relaxed, and he allowed the suppressed grin to spread across his face. He closed in the distance between us and gave me a tight hug.

"Thanks, Vic. You're great," he let go. "And you're a great dancer." I laughed, and shoved him lightly towards the direction of our table, and he obediently followed the trail with a final smile.

I strolled back to the table after I saw Caitlyn and Ackers approaching the dance floor, holding hands and looking ever so content. The table was, however, void of Ted when I sat back down. Instead, Hale and Peter were there in their seats sharing a butterbeer. Hale inquired about Caitlyn and Ackers, and I explained the happenings. She grinned brightly as she strained her neck to watch the new couple swaying together, and turned back to give me a double thumbs-up.

"Er, d'you know where Ted is?"

"He left before Ackers came back. He seemed to have guessed what you were going to do. Well, he told us to tell anyone who asks not to wait for him tonight, but didn't say where he was going to go… Where're you going?"

"No matter. I know where he is. See you guys later, alright?"

--

I exited the Great Hall and out the back archway, down the hills and stone stairs to arrive at the field facing the Black Lake, where the ceremony had been held the same afternoon.

I strolled along the dark field by memory, hardly being able to see anything except the glimmering reflections of the moon on the surface of the Lake. When my toe touched a hard, flat, substance, I knew I had arrived at my destination. I hopped over the wide squares of white marble set about two feet apart from each other, careful not to tread on any of them. As I got close enough, the light mist enveloping the Lake was no longer blinding me from the lone figure sitting in between two plates, staring off in the direction of the Lake.

I sat down next to Ted, taking a good look at him. He had turned his hair into a bright turquoise and his expression was quite…expressionless. He hugged his knees and looked directly forward, not showing any signs that I was there. I looked down at the plate between us, knowing what the engraved words were before I read and ran my fingers across them.

_Nymphadora A. Tonks_

I looked back up at Ted's profile. I suppose I'd never truly appreciated how beautifully arched his nose was. Parts of his face appeared to be glowing due to the reflected moonlight, and I glimpsed a gold glint on his neck that lasted no longer than a second that showed he was wearing the locket I had given him. Suddenly I burst out, "Your hair's turquoise."

He turned to me unnaturally slowly. "You knew it would be."

"I did. And I also remember the time when you held it turquoise all the time a few years ago."

"There was that period of time, yes."

"You also used to hold it a light brown with pink streaks as well."

A smile surfaced on his face. "I'm sorry anyone should remember."

"You were ten. I wanted them too, but my Mum, despite constantly grinning fondly at your head, wouldn't let me."

"You've got the most beautiful hair, Vic."

"Have it if you want."

"No thanks, but I've got something you should have." He reached for his neck and undid the chain, and passed me the golden locket.

"I thought you liked it," I murmured, fingering the necklace, hurt.

"Open it," he ordered simply. I did, and to my surprise, the picture inside wasn't of the turquoise-haired Ted, but instead of myself when I was one. I was chuckling in the picture, and had a small tuff of silver-blond hair on the center of my head. "Happy birthday," proclaimed Ted with a small grin.

"You bought a different one?"

"Correction, I bought the same one."

I broke his gaze, not knowing how to reply, but looked around at the Lake that he had been staring at previously. "It's full moon tonight."

"I realized." Well, it was hard not to. The moon was larger and appeared closer than I'd ever seen it; hanging so close to the Lake that I was sure if I had swam to the brim of the lake I could touch it. "You know, in a very, very small way, I'm glad he's not here anymore," Ted said unexpectedly. I turned my head and saw that he was stroking the name on the plate on his other side: _Remus J. Lupin_. "If he's here right now, he'd be…be…" he swallowed. "…A _wolf_."

"He wouldn't be suffering," I pointed out quietly. "There's the Wolfbane Potion for the pain and emotion control."

"That's not what I'm saying," his words rolled out in a tumble, and I was alarmed to find his eyes harden with anger. "All my life I'd been able to change my appearance at will, be whoever I wanted to be…imagine being turned into something _completely_ different, something _inhumane_, both by appearance and nature, entirely against your will," his voice cracked. "Changed every month without fail to something so horrible…and the process…"

His left hand left the plate to brush by his cheek quickly. I knew he was wiping away a tear. "I'm not ashamed of it. I'm not ashamed of him being what he was. I'm not ashamed that I like my steaks rare or that I hate moon charts in Astronomy. I'm not…I'm not ashamed that my dad…was a werewolf."

I placed a hand on his. "And you shouldn't be."

He looked at me, his eyes still filled with moisture.

It was the most natural of things to do when I closed my eyes slowly.

--

**AAH! I've planned this chapter since practically day one. It's a huge relief somewhat to finally let it out.**

**Unplanned cliffhanger, by the way.**


	12. Chapitre Douze

**Hello again. I love and appreciate ALL the reviews, of course (and thank you guys so much), especially those who review consistently and have stuck with me throughout the whole story, but I was particularly pleased that someone had finally acknowledged my chapter naming system. Good on you to know your French numbers!**

**Disclaimer: I truly pity your intellect if for one second you thought I'm J.K.R.**

**--**

I arrived back in the dorm at five in the morning. The problem with sleeping outdoors without any coverage was that being woken up by the first morning rays was inevitable. Oh, and it also hurt your back. A lot.

Shockingly, there were sounds of conversation when I entered. Caitlyn was in her pajamas, sitting upright and hugging her knees on her bed. Hale was also casually dressed, but her wet hair and her dress robes hanging over her arms indicated that she didn't return too early herself either. They both greeted me with wide yawns.

"Who were you with?" Hale questioned as I took off my earrings.

"I didn't do anything…like that," I clarified. "I was with Ted. And we both fell asleep at the memorial plates. That was all." Aside from…

"Oh…well, I got back first," Caitlyn informed me. "Around one o'clock. I was down near the Ravenclaw tower. Hale came back 'bout an hour ago. And she won't say anything about her night besides spending it in the Astronomy Tower," she directed her last words at Hale with slight annoyance. "Oh, come on, Hale, you must've done _something_. You can't just do 'nothing' when you spend the whole night in a dark, silent tower with your boyfriend. It's the _Love Tower_, for Merlin's sakes."

Hale rolled her eyes. "Oh, cut the nonsense. You know my values. Pete knows them too, and he respects them as well as me. Besides, I'm only sixteen. We just talked and joked and–messed around a bit—nothing too serious."

"Worth the fatigue?" I asked.

She grinned widely. "Oh yes."

I turned my attention to Caitlyn. "And you, my dear?"

She beamed. "Oh, Vic, you've no idea how much I owe you," she began dreamily. "Daniel was just the gentleman. And he's so forthcoming and humorous—you guys wouldn't believe half the things he's done—honestly, I don't know why I didn't pay more attention to him before. Here I was, fawning over Luke and Rand and Ted like all the other Gryffindors. I should have followed Hale's steps to the Ravenclaw tower…"

"Caitlyn, that's so great. You deserve it."

"That was pretty big of you, Vic," Hale commented. "Did Ted mind, though?"

"He had other matters on his mind," I replied truthfully. "And of course he's happy for Caitlyn. Has Theri been back yet?"

"Nope," Caitlyn replied cheerfully. "Wonder what they're doing."

"If I know them, asleep under a tree or in a deserted stairwell," I said.

"Maybe the Prefect's bathroom?" Hale suggested.

"Ew, Hale, why would they sleep in a bathroom where Myrtle can just…splash out of the U-bend?"

The door creaked, and Theri, her dressed slightly wrinkled and her hair let down, entered. "Stop stimulating, ladies, voices carry through doors, you know."

We were all silent, staring at her intently. "Oh, come on. I'm not that abundant with my body. We talked until around three and fell asleep on that rock behind Hagrid's hut, that's all."

"Which is under a tree. Hand over the Galleons, girls," I opened my arms triumphantly. Hale waved me away. "Oh, but didn't Hagrid notice?"

"Nope, he returned to his hut at around a quarter past midnight, singing about some Parry Hotter and Duffy the three-headed Fog. So we assumed he was drunk and resumed our conversation without worries. Well, the teachers aren't stupid. They know students sneak out and everything, it's just that they're more lax on the special day… Vic, why are _you_ still in your dress?"

"She was with _Ted_," Hale emphasized, her eyebrows insinuative.

"We did nothing," aside from… "He was going through his annul mourning, and we just talked." Aside from…

"Right, well, I'm going to go shower," Theri took off her jewelry and grabbed her pajamas off her pillow. "Coming, Vic?"

"What? Oh, yeah."

--

I turned off the shower, dried myself with a towel, squeezed water out of my hair, dressed, and stepped out of the showering cubicle. As Theri and I combed our wet hair in front of the mirror, I found her looking at me oddly. I raised my eyebrows in question.

"Ready to tell me what _really_ happened?"

"What really happened what?"

She rolled her eyes. "Between you and Ted. You were holding something back, I could tell." When I opened my mouth, ready to deny the charges, she began again, "Before you lie, know that I grew up with you and I've slept in the bed next to you for five years. A.k.a. I can tell."

I swallowed. "But honestly, it was…nothing. _One_ kiss. And not even a passionate, touching-all-over kiss. It was one simple kiss. Like one on the cheek, only it was on the lips. It was _nothing_, I swear to Merlin. A brush of the lips. And he was all sentimental beforehand, so it's not like we planned to kiss. Emotional talks you know…"

Theri's eyes were, surprisingly, sympathetic. "Vic, I hate to break it to you, but I meant it when I said I think Ted likes you." She shook her head quickly. "No, I mean I'm honored to be the one to inform you this, since it just happens that I think you might have a little more than sisterly-brotherly love for him as well. I'm one hundred percent serious, Vic," she asserted when I started to argue.

"But I don't think of him that way!" I wailed. "I don't! He's my best guy friend and virtual older brother and I love him but not in that way! You of all people should know!"

And she should! All our lives we'd been together, so how could she ever think of something like that? Ted and I? Together? As a couple? Never, ever, ever!

And _do not_ say I was in denial when I said that, because I wasn't. _I wasn't_.

"Then how do you explain this spontaneous kiss?"

"It was just a—just a—it was—"

"You see!" she shrilled triumphantly. "You can't even say it was a mistake, because it wasn't!"

And here I became extremely furious with myself, seeing as I couldn't think of anything to reply with.

--

The essence of May was reduced to an anxious silence for one-third of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The reasons were simple: the O.W.L.s and the N.E.W.T.s.

They came sooner than we all expected, and soon the entire fifth year (and seventh for their own similar reasons) were in a frenzy. Good luck charms were secretly being sold; frogspawn and onions as well as small jars of minced garlic hung around the chain could be seen in various students' possessions. People were fainting with fevers in the library, and the hospital wing was filled with students that somehow developed angry rashes or boils (though the latter were potentially caused by certain other human beings)

It was rare to see a fifth or seventh year walking down a hallway without a thick volume or notes in their hands, muttering to themselves frantically or waving their free arm with exaggeration while reciting paragraphs from textbooks from memory. The examiners now dined with us, all of them looking completely at home and entirely at ease with hundreds of students staring at them with fanatical intensity. They talked among themselves and the teachers in soft voices, looking completely genial, though the students could be heard discussing fervently under their breaths if whether the examiners were criticizing or analyzing what they saw.

All in all, the school was a mess. A wreck. Havoc. Chaos. War. Therefore, Theri never got around to mentioning the evening of the Ball. Nor did Ted and I, for the matter. But no matter.

No matter.

--

My first O.W.L. exam was due to be June second, on Potions. This was just slightly unnerving because Potions wasn't exactly my forte, and was just a teensy bit scary as a course overall. By that I meant it was really easy to mess up entirely with just a small, small mistake. Theri and I were to take it at the same time, and we were both highly flustered. We studied constantly—shouting questions across the dinner table and returning the answers—but three hours after Potions I had the Herbology exam, which was not as but still very unsettling. After all, plants, unlike dead, dried, and cracked Potions materials, varied in personality and moods.

What if an Underground Brazilian Mongolia Flower attacked me and I fainted and they took me to the hospital wing and I wake up a week later only to discover that I've missed all my exams and therefore failed them all seeing as there were no re-takes? Oh, run-on sentence, but oh well.

"Honestly, Vic, stop fretting!" Dom exclaimed over my shoulder one night in the common room as I began to sketch different plants from memory and labeling their parts. "You'll do fine! What you _really_ need is some serious rest and a lot of chocolate."

"Dom, sod off. You've got exams, why don't you go do something about that?"

"Precisely my point. I'm not half as worked up as you are."

"Second-year exams aren't going to affect your whole entire future."

"So? Cramming is never the way of learning, dearest wise ol' sis. Brownies are good. Or a shortcake. Maybe some crisps? They've got these new chocolate-flavored ones that they have in the kit—"

I sighed exasperatedly. "Did you really just have a sudden burst of interest in chocolate or are you just simply trying to annoy me so much that I follow you to the kitchen? Because that's not going to happen."

She blinked innocently, her blue eyes twinkling next to the (magically cooled) fireplace. "But I promised Mum and Dad to take close care of you, helpless, fragile, naïve little Victoire…"

I threw my rubber revealer at her; she ducked successfully but finally backed off and walked away.

"She's right, you know," Luke, who was sitting next to Theri (her eyes moved so quickly across her third-year Potions textbook that she looked like an image on fast-forward) on the couch across from me. "About the chocolate crisps, I mean."

"Get back to your Skrewts, Lucas," I rolled my eyes, adding seeds to my Chena Lily. "Caitlyn, could you please wake Ted? The flexibility of his neck is really giving me the creeps."

Caitlyn gave Ted a shake on the arm, and his eyes bulged slightly as he shot up straight in his seat, dropping all the papers that were in his lap. He looked around with two jerks in the head before taking in his environment and relaxing his body. "What the goblin was that for?" he asked idly, stretching and yawning before picking up his possessions.

"For your spine was breaking," Caitlyn replied, rubbing her forehead over her History of Magic reference book.

"That would explain these," he extended both his arms and cracks were heard.

"Stop it, that's not good for you," I said before I could hold it in. A silence engulfed us; even though Ted and I weren't exactly mortified over what had happened, and it wasn't even a big deal, but we didn't tell our friends (assuming he didn't) and it was an odd atmosphere between us.

Luke and Theri were whispering into each other's ears now. As I watched, Luke laughed, swung an arm around Theri, and laid a kiss on her forehead. I couldn't help but watch them with some envy. Theri and Luke had, overnight, transformed from one of the most-famous-enemies to most-envied-couple. Made people wonder why things like that couldn't happen to the rest of us.

I noticed as I turned back to my work that Ted was looking directly at me. For a fraction of a second our eyes met, and then we both looked away simultaneously. What was he thinking, exactly? Was he actually _staring _or was it an accident? Did he— Chena Liles, Chena Lilies, Chena Lilies.

--

"That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Shut up, Theri."

"Oh, really Caitlyn, question 16A though, that was a bit tricky, hm?"

"She said shut up, Theri."

"Hale, as if I would listen. Did anyone choose b for 32? Because I think that was a trick question. It was supposed to be _loaf_, not stick. You know, when you're talking about the units the hags used for—"

"Theri, if you really want our opinion on the exam, well, don't."

"But it wasn't _that_ bad."

I gave a dry chuckle. "No, but it wasn't exactly fun. I mean, I thought we were supposed to stick strictly to history, but it actually asked for our opinion. Around the middle, something like 38 or the other."

"Oh please, Vic. Not you too. I swear, the world just ended in that room—Dan!" Caitlyn left us with a new bounce in her steps to greet Ackers.

Hale grinned. "Snaps for hot Quidditch Captains."

Theri matched Hale's expression. "Tell _me_ about it, hon."

It was a Wednesday, and we were halfway through with our O.W.L.s. So far I haven't been doing so bad. Of course, there were questions on the theory parts that I had to improvise on and certain spells that didn't come as top notch, but I should be getting at least E's for most. Transfiguration was still to come, as well as Defense, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy (joy to the world). In fact, Runes was scheduled to be seventy minutes after this. Most classes have been cancelled for the O.W.L.s and we basically had free periods to revise or catch some sleep. The teachers, in their opinions, have done as much as they could for us.

Theri yawned widely. "Oh well. I'm off to see old Flitwick… since I'm the only one who hasn't taken the Charms one yet," she looked somberly at us all (for the core courses the exams were divided into two groups), and after a quick goodbye from everyone, left.

Caitlyn walked by with Ackers, giving us a quick signal that we were to go on without her. Hale and I laughed to ourselves and trailed up the staircase (which had finally arrived from its long stay attached to the third floor) that would take us to the Gryffindor Tower.

We entered the common room, which was hardly filled. There were only three sixth-years chatting in a corner and several seventh-years scattered about, some napping and some reading. The only other fifth-years were Patrick Weaver and Neil Wright, and so Hale and I automatically went to sit next to Luke. He was with a seventh-year boy whom I didn't even know the first name of—something Misham—but as we approached, the boy got up to leave.

Luke turned to us and pulled on a small smirk. "What did you guys just take?"

Hale moaned miserably and grumbled, "History of Magic."

"Are you Haley Chiu?" a sixth-year demanded harshly out of nowhere.

"It's not very nice to pretend not to know someone's name when you perfectly do, Nicole," Hale replied composedly.

"Well, it's not very nice to leave your pretty _boyfriend_ hanging outside the portrait hole," snapped the girl, and, holding her rather flat nose high, departed swiftly. Hale rolled her eyes after the Nicole girl, excused herself, and climbed out of the portrait hole.

"Must be pressurizing to be Pete's girl, huh?" Luke pondered.

"Bet it's the same being yours," I remarked.

His eyes were completely serious and filled with worry when they met mine. "You really think so?"

I shrugged. "I'm just insinuating. I dunno. I don't really intend to find out anytime. Theri seems happy with it though," I added hastily, seeing his expression.

"You think so?" he suddenly turned quite sullen.

I gaped. "Luke, are you actually doubtful? Theri is absolutely head over heels in love with you! And unless I'm very, very mistaken, you're very caught up in her as well. You're relationship is beyond sweet. It's more than adorable. It's utterly desirable. It's the best thing that's ever happened in my life."

"What?"

"What?"

"You said it's the best thing that's ever happened in _your_ life."

"It is. I've never seen Theri so happy. She's my best friend."

"Yes, but _your_ life?"

"Okay, maybe not exactly the best thing, but that's not the point."

"No, it's very pointy."

I raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me, Wood?"

"Well, wouldn't…" he hesitated. "Wouldn't Ted be…?"

A jolt went through my body and I stood up. "_Theri told you_?" I shrieked, attracting glances from some others in the room.

"What?"

"_What_?"

"Theri told me what?"

"The…!" I dropped my voice, "What about Ted?"

Luke narrowed his eyes. "I'm not blind, you know. Sure, you three grew up together, but he cares a lot about you. I mean a lot." I sat down again, relieved. "You should honestly hear him going on about you when you were dating Winchcombe, or Rand, or anyone really. Like Dan Ackers a few years ago, all of them. He's always freaking out about how you'll get hurt by this guy or that. I always tell him he's like an old woman when he does that, but then he just say it's because you're more easily in love with the wrong guys than Theri, and that's why he's more easily worried. Bullocks, if you ask me."

"Easily in love with the wrong guys?" I repeated. Luke's testimonial had sounded sweet and loving until that part.

"That's not exactly my point, Vic. He obviously feels for you is what I'm saying."

"Easily in love with the wrong guys?"

"Do you feel for him too? Honestly."

Do I?

Of course not.

No, of course not.

Most definitely not.

"…Cares about you."

"What?"

"What?"

"Who cares about me?"

"I _said_," he began impatiently.

"Hey you two!" boomed a cheerful voice behind my back. "I got this great, if not a bit lame, pun from this girl from my virtual fan club today… What's blue and hot yet sends shivers down your spine?"

"Russian Teal Fireblossoms?" Luke replied hopefully.

Ted rolled his eyes. "_No_, Teddy Lupin. Honestly Luke."

"Ha, ha, ha. Not funny."

"I warned you it was lame," Ted said coyly. His eyes turned to me. "Oi, what's up with you? You look like you just swallowed a Russian Teal Fireblossom."

"No—nothing, just exams." I didn't look up, but I could just picture Ted shrugging my odd behaviors off and falling into the nearest chair with a small sigh, as he always did when he plopped down on a chair.

It was absolutely frustrating that I knew him so well.

"So, Ted," Luke began. "I was just thinking of how you haven't gone off to snog some girl at random for almost two months. It's odd, you know. Almost as if you were _attached_ to perhaps a particular _someone_," he emphasized pointedly. I refused to look up at him.

"What? I'm not…" My ears itched for him to continue. "Have you been stalking me, Lukey Ollie Woodie?"

"Not exactly, Teddy Remmy Lupey, but you didn't exactly brag about anything, or even mention anything. It's alright to finally fall in love, Teddy. Do tell who it is."

"There's nobody. You're just hallucinating. I'm just concentrating on my studies. Vic here can testify," I finally looked up at my name, and saw that he was looking back with a small grin on his face.

I gulped. "Uh… I mean, just because your popularity is decreasing dramatically… I'm just saying, perhaps it's time for a haircut or a diet…"

"Oi!" He leaped across the space between us and held me in a headlock. He rubbed his fist on the top of my head lightly and tickled me. Normally I would have pulled back his head by his hair and punched him in the stomach, but this time I was too busy breathing in the scent of his robes, feeling the contact of our skin, catching segments of his laughter, and pressing myself against his warmth.

Oh, drat.

Drat.

Bleeding drat.

Flipping hacking freaking bleeding _drat_.

I was in love with Ted Lupin.

And he had absolutely no idea.

--

**The end is in sight! So if you've added this story to your alerts list or have simply been following through but never reviewed, now's the time. I'd really like to hear opinions from everyone. And again, HUGE thanks to those who reviewed.**

**Here I'd like to ask a little question for fun: how do you guys picture the scene of Ted and Vic finally getting together?**


	13. Chapitre Treize

**Here comes the moment...**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still not J.K.R.**

**--**

The O.W.L.s had finally ended.

But not my troubles.

Oh, no, far from it.

For one thing, Ted seemed to have grown more and more distant from me over the course of the last few weeks. School was closing in approximately two more weeks, and of course he was preparing for the graduation ceremony and such, but it was still frustrating. Possibly even more frustrating than it would've been due to the fact that I was now quite addicted to his presence.

No, I'm not even denying it anymore.

I'd told Theri, as well as admitted it somewhat to Hale, Caitlyn, and Luke. All of them were surprisingly unsurprised, which gave my stomach some serious gymnastics training.

"Why are you guys _not_ shocked?" I demanded after seeing their reaction (smirks basically). "I mean, _I _was shocked to realize it."

"Yeah, of course you were, Vic," Hale laughed. "Everyone's had their suspicions about you and Ted except for you and Ted. And now it's just Ted. Luke, could you maybe help with that?" Luke, to my small disappointment, merely shrugged and mumbled some incomprehensible words, seeming uncomfortable.

Ugh.

--

"Oh my," groaned Theri, reading a letter in the library (as for why we were there when school had practically ended was a mystery).

"Is something wrong?" asked Hale, Pete by her side.

"Nothing, just my paranoid Dad…_Catherine, in the name of Merlin best-preserved and glossy potions book, why have either of you written home for almost a month?? If you had written, perhaps I could have assisted you more on your O.W.L.s study schedule! After all, it is one of the key factors of your future, a most beneficial plus on your résumé. It's never too early to plan what's to come eventually…_ same as always. Only a bit more. I think the O.W.L.s got to him more than me."

Dear ole uncle Perce.

"Did you tell him about Luke?"

Theri rolled her eyes. "Honestly Caitlyn. That was a rhetorical question. Would I?"

"Oh, so you're like Vic—"

"Hey, my parents are cool with that stuff," I proclaimed. "It's my choice to not discuss snogging sessions over with my mum and hear her 'oh la la's and warnings of indiscretion."

"Well, I'm pretty sure my dad would kill me…"

"I'm sure he would too, Theri."

"Thanks a lot, Vic… Hey, Lucas."

Luke, Ted, and three other Hufflepuff seventh-year boys had flocked over and Luke bent lovingly over Theri, brushing his lips against her flaming hair. "Catherine."

The Hufflepuff boys sent Luke some teasing looks and quite inappropriate gestures, then left. "How mature," Theri remarked coldly. Luke laughed and sank in a chair next to her.

"Hey, Ted, what's up?" Caitlyn asked passively, though I could just about see the physical movement of her mind restraining itself from glancing at me meaningfully.

"Oh um, speeches to plan, teachers to please, jobs to apply, girls to snog, just the usual." I visibly flinched at the last of his list of activities, though thankfully he didn't notice. In fact, he appeared quite absent, shifting on his feet constantly and looking from side to side.

"Busy you," commented Theri with a hint of dryness.

Ted grinned at her. "Oh yes. In fact, I think I'd better go. Matters on hand…see you later, Luke." With a nod from Luke, he departed from the nook we were sitting in and disappeared among the shelves.

"Did Ted seem a bit distant to you all?" I questioned as soon as his footsteps were no longer audible.

Caitlyn chuckled. "Vic, I think you were just staring at him too intently."

When I looked obviously unconvinced, Peter added, "He looked normal to me."

Hale smiled at me sympathetically. "Vic, he's fine. It's not like he's going to do something stupid and suicidal like standing in the middle of storm or going after Skrewts, right? I think he's just tired."

Guess so.

--

Okay, it officially wasn't just me anymore. Ted was definitely behaving oddly. And it most certainly is not, as Luke had excused, the pressure of making the speech at the graduation as Head Boy. I wonder if it was because of his abnormally strong attachment to the castle, which to him was one of his top connections to his parents, for he was spending much more time in between the two marble plates next to the lake.

Just don't ask me how I knew this.

There was once when I caught a girl sprawled across him in the common room, practically ready to shag him to death. He had, however, seemed unwilling to respond to her (which was really odd) and had departed for the dorms early. And I wasn't staring or anything, I was merely doing some friendly observing.

"End of fifth year…" Theri sighed one Saturday at lunch. The ceiling was misty and raindrops were falling. Apparently yet another afternoon shower was forming. They'd been going on quite violently lately; after all, summer was officially here. I sat between Caitlyn and Hale and Theri sat across from us with Luke.

"End of Hogwarts…" mused Luke. Theri touched his arm and they shared a knowing look together. From what I knew, the two still hadn't exactly figured out how to keep their relationship going after Luke leaves Hogwarts. I knew Theri, no matter what she claimed, was worried. Luke was a handsome guy who was going to go play professional Quidditch, putting him one of the top-quality bachelor groups of the Magical community. She couldn't exactly keep the girls away stuck in this castle.

At least she could worry about that. Some of us aren't even that lucky.

"Sixth year…" Hale added thoughtfully.

"Free periods!" Caitlyn threw up her arms in joy. We all laughed at her priorities.

"Catty," sounded a small voice behind us.

"Don't call me that, _Jackie_. What's wrong?" Caitlyn's little brother, Jack, stood apprehensively behind us, swaying slightly on his feet.

"It' just, well, Fred Weasley told me…" his voice reduced to a small whisper next to Caitlyn's ear, and fled immediately after she nodded (gee, first-years), most likely indicating that she got the message. He only waved when she shouted, "And what am I supposed to do about that?"

"Do about what?"

"Ted's drowning himself in the rain outside the Gryffindor tower and Fred and Molly sent Jack to fetch us," she reported. I raised my eyebrows. "I don't know what's wrong. Shall we go see?"

I nodded and assembled my possessions, looking up to see that the steady rain had grown to a vicious shower that was crashing down from an ironically sun-filled sky.

--

"Well, why are you guys just standing here?" Theri demanded, marching up to Molly, Fred, a few other third years, Dom, and Abigail.

Ted was indeed drowning himself in the rain. He stood in the center of the small and only courtyard counted as Gryffindor territory. He was facing upwards towards the pouring heavens and his eyes were amazingly open. His dripping blue hair framed his pale face and it was with utmost difficulty that I succeeded in not examining how his soaked garments clung onto his muscular torso.

"We tried reasoning to him," Molly exclaimed over the sound of the rain. "Fred and Sean tried to remove him physically, but that didn't work either!"

So _that_ was Sean. Hm. Well I guess he looks pleasant enough. Maybe seemed a bit dodgy, but perhaps I shouldn't draw judgment yet…

"Evidently!" Theri shouted back at her sister in reply. Despite that we were standing in a sheltered hallway entering the courtyard, the water splashed up from the ground and hit our faces. Everyone took an instinctive step backwards as a sudden rush of rain that was even heavier than before fell.

I looked at Hale. "_Not_ going to do something stupid and suicidal?"

"Oi, mate!" Luke hollered at Ted, stepping out halfway into the rain. "Get in here, Lupey, before I come get you! You're gonna be in the Hospital Wing for weeks this way!" Ted flung an arm silently at him, signaling him to go away.

"There are better ways to moisturize your skin, Ted!" Fred yelled, and Molly smacked him on the arm warningly.

"Ted, can't we do this more rationally?" Theri almost begged (her robes were getting really spotted with backtracking raindrops). "Like, oh, I don't know, _indoors_? Cozy fire, blankets, a jug of honey-milk, heartrending confessions? Sound familiar? Tempting? No?"

There was silence for a few moments, and the lower classmen announced that they were going back up to the common room. The rest of us nodded and focused back on Ted. It was strange for him to behave this way. Usually it was him, being the dutiful Prefect/Head Boy, dragging people out of sentimental and irrational behaviors such as this.

Luke shouted at Ted some more, but was again ignored with a dismissive wave of the arm. Before I knew it, I found all of them staring at me. "What?"

"You go!"

"Why?"

"Merlin, Victoire, he'll listen to you."

"And what makes you think he'll listen to me if you, his best mate, were ignored with nothing but some flapping of biceps?"

"Go!" He shoved me and me, being me, stumbled into the courtyard and almost ending my life right there. I was soaked so quickly that I could have doubted myself as being permeable.

I pulled off my robes and held them over my head as a makeshift cover and hurried towards Ted's figure. "Ted," I yelled at him over the noise of the world being washed away. "This is ridiculous, what's the problem? Come in!"

He turned slowly to me. "I can't believe I'm going to leave here."

"Yes, Ted, but the day will come. Let's go in, alright?"

"It's been my home. More than it is for others I think. I mean, I love my grandmother, but it's different… I belong here."

I frowned. "Ted, you belong with us, too. You belong in the Burrow as much as your grandmother's, you know that, right? _Please_ Ted. There are other ways to become saturated, you know."

"You don't know what I mean, Vic. You've a loving family but despite that I practically am a part of your family, it's still _your_ family. Not mine. Not _really_."

"That's just bullocks now."

"No, it's not. As I said, you won't understand."

"Oh, come on. What's really the problem here? If you're just feeling sorrow over your leave of Hogwarts, you'd be taking tours around the castle, not drowning yourself in a courtyard," I reasoned, feeling my wet bangs sticking onto my forehead.

"Well, it's also that I've been so stupid during my time here."

"Can we mull over the matters on your mind elsewhere? Somewhere not wet?"

"No. The rain helps me think. It helps with my photosynthesis."

"_Huh_?"

"My point is I've been such an idiot…"

"Excuse me? You're bloody Head Boy! Let's get you dried, Ted, come on." I took his forearm and attempted to pull him with me, but he just stayed put and looked me in the eye. I blinked, then let go of my grip on him. "Fine, then. How were you 'stupid'?"

"I wasted my time on endless relationships that never would have worked, and I was a smug bastard who was so into himself…"

"So what's your point?"

"I wasted all these years!" he exclaimed, raising his voice for the first time.

"Well, you must have done something right. You were Prefect and now Head Boy! You're one of the most popular guys in the school! You're successful in Quidditch…"

"You're missing the point."

"Enlighten me, then. But how about we have this confessional talk inside?"

"I missed a point, too, actually. Hence my stupidity."

"What point, exactly?"

"Actually, I don't think I missed it exactly. More like I was in denial for a long, long period of time."

"In denial of _what_?"

"So in denial that eventually I was blind to it."

"I would leave you here until you decide to tell me after a year or two, but then again you might die in the rain."

"In denial of…you."

"Sorry?"

"I love you, dammit!" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. "And I have been for a long time without realizing it! Then when I finally did I simply snogged more girls and tried to deny and ignore it!"

I froze, and not because I was soaked through. I stared into his light brown eyes, which were glowing with emotion. I could form words with my mouth or in my head. He loved me? He loved me _back_? He'd loved me all this time?

"I'm an idiot! I'm hopeless! Vic…" He took my shoulders and drew me closer. "Vic…forgive me." I looked at him, still in shock, and nodded lightly. He bent, slowly and carefully, towards me, until his nose brushed against mine, and enclosed his lips gently over mine.

In slow motion as well, I dropped the robe I held over my head and wrapped my arms around his neck. He opened his mouth slightly and the tips of our tongues touched, and we shared the only source of warmth we could extract from each other. His hands travelled up my back and he tangled his fingers in my wet hair, caressing my scalp with his thumb. I skidded my hands to his neck and then let him kiss me, more deeply and thoroughly than I'd ever been kissed.

At this moment, as if by magic or just my imagination, the rain decreased. Not by much, but enough so that I could here the catcalls and whistling that sounded from above. We broke apart and I looked to see Fred, Molly, Dom, and their friends crowding around the window of the common room a few stories above us, cheering. Luke was hollering and punching the air, holding Theri who was just as ecstatic in his other arm. Hale and Caitlyn laughed and both gave me thumbs-ups when I looked at them.

Ted was laughing as well. He picked me up and swung me in circles as he had done after we'd won the cup, and when he set me down he kissed me again, more passionately this time.

And here I thought it was a good time to analyze my current condition: I was being kissed in the rain (sounded good already) by one of the most sought-after boys in this school who had just expressed his undivided love for me. I was being cheered on by my cousins and friends and even, as I could see now as I looked up at the Gryffindor tower once more, many of the Gryffindor house. I closed my eyes.

I would have to say I was not doing badly at all.

--

"Honestly, Freddie, grow up," I snapped, though with a smile, at my little cousin who was rejoicing his moments of glory of a recent prank he had pulled on a few Slytherins before we all boarded the train.

"Never," he said solemnly.

"If school hadn't ended already, I would probably have to take points off…" Theri became distracted by Luke sliding his hands around her waist and kissing her neck. "On the other hand, never mind…"

"Fred did grow up, a little," Molly commented with a sly grin. Fred widened his eyes at her and attempted to slap her shoulder but she dodged away, laughing. "He-snogged-Abigail-earlier-today-before-we-left-for—" she shouted on one go before being pinned down on the floor by Freddie.

"You _what_? Really, Freddie?" Ted laughed next to me. "My boy's all grown up!" he grabbed Freddie away from tickling Molly ("Watch where your hands go, cousin!" warned Theri), who was abnormally ticklish, and held him in a firm head-lock.

"Ow, let go of me, Ted!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'm telling Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur of how I saw you and Vic almost stripping each other down two nights ago!"

Ted let go of him immediately and lay a punch on his back. I blushed furiously and Luke's insinuative looks and wondered aloud too brightly about Caitlyn's location. After deciding that she was mostly likely flirting with Ackers, trying to get a snog before he left the school for good, Fred and Molly left us, still shoving each other around.

"So," Hale began with a coy grin.

"Sod off," Ted and I said in unison, then smiled at each other.

"Get a room, you sods," Luke threw a piece of gum wrapper at Ted, who stopped it with his wand and transfigured it into a canary that flew at Luke viciously. Luke panicked and jump out of his seat as the canary began attacking him, dropping his wand, and Theri (evidently suppressing laughter) made the bird disappear into thin air.

Ted wore a breezy smirk. "Neat little charm I learned from Hermione."

The two of them then began a mini wrestling match in the compartment. It took some time for Pete to break them apart as they started causing trunks to fall off in their violent horseplay. Pete and Hale left later, a little intimidated I assumed, to join Pete's friends in another compartment.

"Boys," sighed Theri.

"Will be boys," I added.

"Who could have thought Freddie would one day grow to be a strapping young bloke such as myself?" Ted asked idly, grinning and throwing an arm around my shoulders, causing my stomach to coil.

"And me," Luke added.

"Oh please, if he had grown to be like the two of you then his charm must have decreased very, very drastically," Theri teased with a roll of eyes.

"Well something must've turned you on," replied Luke, kissing her cheek. She rolled her eyes again.

"Look at all of you, scaring Pete away with your obscene behaviors," I accused; the three of them stuck their tongues out at me. "Oh, mature, are we?"

"As can be," said Ted cheerily.

The trolley came by, and we purchased our lunches. When we were pretty much done, Luke leaned back in his seat and let loose a long sigh. "It's going to be a long summer."

"Stop complaining, you've got tryouts all lined up," Ted pouted. "I've still got to contact the Ministry and I can't even set up an interview for _training_ until I've got my N.E.W.T.s results back, not to mention starting the actual job." Ted's future in the office with Uncle Harry and Ron was set in his mind since his early childhood, and unlike most childhood dreams he was actually following through with his.

"Yeah, but I don't even know if I can get into a decent team. My goal is the Hogston Horntails of course, but—"

"But you've got a great chance at the Holyhead Harpies too," Ted injected with a perfectly straight face.

For a second, Luke was compelled. "But isn't that an all-wom—Teddy Lupin!"

We laughed heartily at Luke's denseness and didn't stop until Caitlyn entered the compartment, bewildered at the scene in front of her. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing," asserted Luke, though he was chuckling himself. "What's up?"

She blushed deeply. "Dan kissed me." There she burst into a fit of giggles as Theri and I both began to urge for details. "Relax, we're not going out. Oh, where's Hale? He told me he'd recommended Pete as captain next year, which gives him a much higher chance! Oh, but I wasn't supposed to tell anyone… Where are they though?"

"Ted and Luke scared them away," I informed her.

"Oh. How?"

"You don't want to know."

"Luke and I started snogging and Pete and Hale couldn't stand the intensity of our passionate slash displays and so they fled." At Caitlyn's expression, Ted sighed, "Caitlyn, I was kidding."

"Oh. 'Cause I was having some very steamy mental images."

"Don't tell."

"Fine."

After some rowdy discussion over Every Flavored Beans, the Hag the Troll and the Barman jokes, the retirement of Ludo Bagman, and Muggle video games experiences, Luke and Ted left to join their roommates for one last gathering. Hale returned to us soon after. The four of us sat in our most common formation: Hale and Caitlyn on one side, Theri and I on the other. We simply studied each other's familiar faces for a while without a word. The silence wasn't awkward, but more of a soundless appreciation of each other. A few moments later, Caitlyn spoke.

"So, another year."

"Yes indeed," said Theri.

"A lot has happened," Hale mused with a half-smile.

"Oh yes," I agreed, matching her grin.

"Theri found the love of her life in her worst enemy," Caitlyn began, chuckling.

"Hale is practically married to Pete," Theri said in a singsong tone, fluttering her lashes playfully at Hale.

"Vic and Ted _finally_ saw what we've all been seeing," Hale continued after throwing a ball of tissue at the former speaker.

"Caitlyn added about ten more guys to her 'snogged' list…" I dodged her expected fist. "…And she made a new close guy-friend." She grinned brightly. "Who is also on her 'snogged' list." A dangerous glare.

"Alright, alright," Hale laughed conclusively. "Overall, very eventful year."

"In which Catherine potentially lost her virtue…"

"Or in which Caitlyn stole Vic's date."

"Did not, Theri!"

"Didn't either, Caitlyn."

"In any case," I raised my voice, as the train pulled into the station with perfect timing. I paused for the dramatic effect. "Have a great summer, I love you all, good luck with the O.W.L. results, and write."

"And buy me presents," said Caitlyn. Then at our looks, "Gee, can't anyone take a well-intentioned joke anymore?"

We all stood up, hugged tightly, and then unloaded our trunks to exit the train. Ted met me at the door. "So," he said, flashing a smile.

"So."

"We're not telling James, Al, Lou, or Hugo _anything_."

"Nope, nothing. No-thing. But the girls are okay."

"Right. Hence the sexual discrimination."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You look me straight in the eye and tell me boys are mature, then we'll tell them."

"I guess we're not telling them then." I laughed to myself and was about to step off the train when he caught my arm and pulled me into a firm kiss. "That was for the possibility that I won't be doing that for a while."

"Didn't I you two to get a room?" Luke said with a smirk, dragging his trunk past us with Theri next to him, with an identical expression on her face.

After exchanging a quick grin, Ted and I simultaneously began to drag our trunks over to where the massive family stood, waving at us with overextended smiles on their faces.

--

**ONE MORE CHAPTER! AAAH! But the next update may be a little slow... I've got mid-quarter tests. Fun. The next (and last) chapter's going to be shorter, but I've got many things to ramble about so there'll be a long A/N. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this bit (I think my fluffiest chapter yet??). Somehow I always pictured the moment as in the rain. Please review (:**


	14. Chapitre Quatorze

**Last chapter. Okay I lied, this is much more of an epilogue. It's not my best, but I know it won't be appreciated if I didn't give some sort of lovey and family-y ending to the story.**

**Disclaimer: yeah.**

**--**

_One year and two months later:_

"_Please_, Mum." I begged. "I've been good all summer right? I finished my homework halfway through! I tutored Lou…I'm Head Girl!" I emphasized the last bit. Yes, indeed I was. Though I guessed this was because Theri was already Quidditch Captain and couldn't be both. I reckoned Uncle Perce was slightly faltered, but my Dad was also Head Boy as well as the eldest so he didn't say much.

"Victoire!" Mum almost yelled. "Zat eez eenough! Of courze your father and I are very proud you made 'Ead Girl, but eet eez not an excuse to spend your last night 'ome _not_ at 'ome!"

"_Mais Maman_, it's just one night, like any other night. Theri'll be there too, if…"

"Eet eez family night, you 'ear. You're all going back to school tomorrow, and your father and I want to be with _all _our children. Eez Ted more important to you zan your _famille_?"

I sighed. "'Course not, _Maman_. I'll stay tonight."

Mum raised her pale, beautiful face slightly upwards. "Zat eez a good girl. Now you can go tell Ted. But eef 'e wants to 'e can 'ave dinner 'ere."

"_Oui, Maman_." I stepped out of the kitchen when Mum watched over a pot of soup and a batch of peas peeling themselves with her wand raised. I entered the sitting room and pointed my wand at the fireplace. "_Incendio_," I muttered unwillingly, and threw a small handful of Floo powder into the fire when it erupted on command. "Catherine Weasley," I said to it, and stuck my head in. Theri was in her room, and I'm sure my head appeared on her mini furnace next to her wardrobe.

"Oh, hey Vic," she greeted, sitting up from her bed and lowering her book. "Any luck?"

I rolled my eyes. "You think?"

She shook her head. "Me neither, as you can imagine. Did you get the—"

"'Family night' talk? Yes. And the is your boyfriend—"

"—More important than your family? Yes. They invited Luke over for dinner, but I don't think I want him to suffer my father again. Dad already thinks it's all Luke's fault that I'm Quidditch Captain instead of Head Girl, and if he comes…well, let's just say it won't end well."

"Same, but I think I'll go through with it. They're fine with Ted, and Lou already knows so it won't seem odd to him. You know what's bloody annoying though? My Mum fussing over Ted in half French, and shoving down ten plates of food down his throat."

Theri laughed at the mental image. "Yeah, kinda like Grandma Weasley with Uncle Harry, right? He always says she holds an eternal belief that he's too skinny for his bones."

I laughed along with her. "Yeah well, I guess I'll see you at the platform tomorrow then, Captain."

"Reckon so," and after a short exchange of waves, I pulled my head out of the green fire. Patting the soot off my shoulders, I threw another pinch of Floo powder into the fire and proclaimed loudly to it, "Teddy Lupin."

When the world whirled back in place, I was looking at the sitting room of the house of Ted's grandmother, Mrs. Tonks. It was a cozy place with a large fireplace (which my head currently hovered in) with overstuffed cushions and sofas and an antique coffee table in the center. Shelves with magical and Muggle photos, tea sets, as well as small decorations and artifacts filled the shelves that aligned one of the walls. Ted was sprawled on one of the sofas, reading "Transfiguration Today" with an opened box of Every-Flavored Beans lying close to him.

"Hey Vic," he dropped the magazine as soon as he noticed my presence. "How'd it go?"

I sighed lightly. "Expectedly unwell," I told him, she shrugged. "But they invited you over for dinner instead."

He smiled. "Expectedly."

"So are you coming?"

He pursed his lips and cocked his head in mock consideration. I rolled my eyes and he laughed before standing and walking closer to me (or the fireplace, anyhow). Well, he sort of strutted, but that was perfectly fine by me as well. He looked awfully adorable with his hair bobbing up and down like that.

"Yes, I reckon I can squeeze that into my schedule."

"Why are you at your grandmother's?" I asked. He was usually at home, which for him is now a medium-sized flat he shared with Luke and Paul Campbell in London. The owner was an ancient and sinfully rich warlock who could honestly care less about three nineteen year-olds in one of his many properties. Rent was cheap and life was good for the boys.

"She's going to Scotland with a few girl friends tomorrow and won't be back for two weeks, so I thought I'd pay a visit."

"That's sweet of you," I commented. "Were you going to have dinner with her originally? I'm sure it'd be alright if you both join us for dinner. I haven't seen her since July, after all."

"Yeah, sounds great," he looked at his watch. "In fact, I think I'll head over now and ask her later. Catch a few more hours together?"

"Sure, whenever you can." I pulled back and the image of him and his smile vanished, and I was back in my own sitting room once more. In a matter of minutes, I was joined by Ted, solid and touchable in front of me. He pulled me into a slow kiss before any form of exchange of hellos—well, I was more than happy to oblige.

"Ahem," came a voice behind me, causing me to pull back automatically. "How inappropriate, right in front of innocent and inexperienced children such as myself and all."

"I hope that's what you still are," I told my little sister with a hint of dryness, letting go of Ted. She chuckled at my expression and threw something large at me. The soft object brushed passed my hand and (not unexpectedly) dropped to the ground. Sighing inwardly, I bent to retrieve what turned out to be a full set of dress robes. "What for?"

"Mum reckons it goes better with your badge than the one you were going to wear originally," Dom explained. "Which means now you can give it to me," she added, fluttering her lashes dramatically.

"Ugh, Mum and this whole Head Girl thing."

"You know you want it. And you know you want to give your ex-robes to me," Dom half-sang, and I waved my hand in the exhasperated older sister fashion and watched her run out of the room in triumph.

I turned to Ted. "Where were we?"

--

I took another bite of scallop, vividly aware that Mrs. Tonks was watching my every move. Sure, she'd known that Ted and I had been going out for a year or so, but she never seemed to lessen her interest in me as time passed. Honestly, I preferred it back when she only wondered if I needed another biscuit or if I was too cold. The good old days.

"Eleven O.W.L.s, I can't believe it," began Dad, but paused. "On second thought, I can. But still, Freddie! Molly, no surprise there, but Fred! It's more than both his dad's and his uncle Fred's put together, literally… But that's besides the point...the stew's really great, honey."

"Deespite 'ow I theenk the Breeteesh tests are way to 'urried, I am extremely proud of 'im, I think he deserves eet," joined my mother. "And thank you for zee complements, Bill my dearest."

"I actually don't see _how_ Ted didn't achieve just as high," Ted laughed when his grandmother cast him a dangerous glare. "Up until the O.W.L.s I never knew Teddy had special issues with memorizing troll names."

Ted rolled his eyes. "Because that's such a very practical skill, grandma."

"Well, you never know, grandson…"

Later, after dinner was off the table, Dom, Lou, Ted and I were ordered to do the dishes and make tea as usual. What the grown-ups didn't know, however, was that we kids tended to have a tad more fun doing chores than we were supposed to.

"Aha! Loser misser messer upper!"

"Lose this!"

"Ow!"

"Dom, hold on to it, we need to stock up—_Accio, Accio_—here, aim, or duck, duck!" I shoved her head down as a sponge went flying by, missing my right ear by inches. "Bloody hell, Louis Arthur Weasley!"

"Whoa! Kids!"

Dom pointlessly hid the bowl and wet cloth she was holding behind her back. "'Lo Dad."

"What are you guys doing?" We all looked back at him guiltily. "And to think half of you are of age! How immature…" he picked up one of the sponges that lay near him. "…And an awesome idea!" the sponge hit Ted straight in the face. As we all simultaneously began to attack him, he raised his arms to cover his face and laughed. "No, no, now, my kids will have to wake up early tomorrow morning. I was supposed to tell you all to be done with things and go off to bathe."

When he exited, Ted bent close to me while retrieving some wet tissue paper that was lying on the counter. "There's an interesting mental image."

I shoved him. "Pervert."

"If that's what you want me to be."

"Oh, ew, lusting conversations outside of my range of hearing please," Lou walked through the middle of us, pushing us away. Ted laughed and dropped the tissue he was holding onto the former's rather out-of-control blonde hair. My little brother, who had recently grown to love hair gel and hair-straightening spells above all else lately, shrieked and jumped back, shaking his head violently and causing tissue to fly everywhere.

"Merlin, brother, I thought we were trying to clean up here," I took a piece of tissue out of his hair and tossed it in the bin (amazingly it went in). "Alright, alright, I know the golden rule, don't mess with the hair. Fred taught me that…once," I couldn't help but sneak a glance at Ted for that memory.

But things were good now, between Ted and I, I mean. Sure, we fight sometimes, but all couples do. We hardly see each other, but when there's a Hogsmeade weekend he almost always comes and we spend the better parts of our vacations together. We write more than often and we trust each other enough not to cheat. Same went for Theri and Luke, except that they broke up once (it wasn't too pretty) around five months ago. However, that was a thing of the past and this summer they were always together it almost seemed as if they were stuck together like…

"Slimy socks!" Dom exclaimed, holding up what appeared to be two lumps of cloth affixed by mud. "What in Merlin's favorite chew chocolate chip biscuits are _these_ doing in the bloody _kitchen_?"

Lou laughed. "I'm betting on Fred, maybe James."

"Have they not heard of triple Veela wrath?" Dom ridiculed, tossing the socks into the bin as well. "Oh go on Vic, just take care of the rest of this so we can go to bed. I don't want to start out drowsy."

"_Scourgify_, well, me neither, _Scourgify_. _Wingardium Leviosa_," I directed a bundle of sponges back into the sink. Ted brandished his wand and quit the manual laboring as well.

Ten minutes later, the four of us stood back-to-back like they do on Muggle television when the characters accomplish some serious handiwork. "Done," Dom concluded.

The kitchen door opened. "Oh, _bon_, you're all done," said my mother. "Bedtime."

--

"Be seeing you?"

"Oh come on, the whistle hasn't even blown yet," Ted took the back of my head with a hand and pulled me into a deep, slow, thorough kiss. Perfect, really. Something for me to live on before the first Hogsmeade trip—

"Merlin! You! And you! You you! Two of you! You two!"

"Nice addition skills, James."

"But!"

"You may go now, James."

"But you two!"

Ted turned my young cousin around by the shoulder and gave him a little shove, before turning back to me with a huge grin on his face. "I guess it's no longer a secret among the boys."

"Guess not. At least you don't have to endure them all in a certain little cozy, circular, and most of all very enclosed and crowded room."

"I really do believe James had gone a bit rebellious on me knowing that I gave my little secret heirloom to Freddie, but I promised him that when Fred graduated it'll be his."

"So they can sneak into the girls' dormitories as well?"

"Well, someone's gotta wake you if I can't," he replied coyly.

"The map's detrimental to boys' minds, Ted. If I'd known you had it. And I still can't believe you didn't share! And Luke as well, of all those times…"

He took me in his hands again and bent closer slowly. "Come here."

I grinned widely "I shall."

"Oh hey! I mean, sorry, but oh hey!" Caitlyn bounced towards us with the usual over-enthusiasim she tended to possess on first day of schools. "Well, it's so great to see you two! You've no idea how bored I've been during summer, like honestly. I mean, all I did was visit my grandparents in Wales for like the millionth time. Really."

"Stop it, can't you tell they were going to kiss? ("Oh my goodness, Hale!" screeched Caitlyn, hugging the newcomer) But really it is great to see everyone. Sucks that summer ended, but still. Head Girl!" Hale gave me a hug, which was slightly awkward due to Caitlyn still attached to her.

"Oh Merlin's Merlin, you guys!"

"Theri!"

"Alright, enough of the girl group hugs thingies, I want in too."

"Hey Luke, how's it going?"

"About the same as last week, Vic, when we last saw each other."

"I thought you might be." When I was about to go on, a shrill whistle rang through the station, causing everyone to give a small start. "Oh, time to go…"

"Cheer up, Head Girl," Ted took me by my shoulders as the crowd began to ascend to the train. "I'll be seeing you soon, and hearing from you sooner, right? Because I love you and we both know you can't ever get enough of me either?"

I smiled my best at him, taking in his features: the navy blue hair, and those milk chocolate eyes that were a shade darker today, making them more the color of the topping of crème brulée. Honestly, it wasn't odd for me to compare his facial details to food. I liked food. A lot. "Yep, reckon so."

He leaned in and put a hand against his ear. "Say what?"

I rolled my eyes but chuckled. "I love you, Ted."

--

**The end! Fin! Done!**

**Thanks _so much_ to _all_ my reviewers for this story, as well as those who just read it, thank you guys too. I hope it was worth your time. I want to make sure that everyone knows that all their feedback are extremely appreciated and loved and simply made my day, but I've a few readers who are my constant reviewers from almost the beginning and have pretty much supported me all the way through whom I'd like to acknowledge: (in no particular order) Cetesy, maddikinz940, kshannon1940, FollowingTheInkTrail, trobairiz, Spicysweetchica101, All's Fair, Swimstar, lyrical-harmonies, and books4evah.**

**Others (and there are faithful reviewers who came halfway and others who've read almost the entire story and left a couple of reviews that I truly appreciate), you know who you are, thank you SO, SO much as well. If I've never replied to your reviews, I'm sorry, but I've read them all and love them all!**

**As for the future, I _have_ started a story that's Marauder-era. It's a bit darker, with a lot more irony and sarcasm, and has (I hope) more depth than this one. I've begun writing it in (again, I hope) a rather different style (it's third person this time), but still somewhat similar (no, I didn't change completely overnight). Also, it's going to be more epic and longer than this one, with shorter chapters (or I'm trying anyways). **

**However, I'm most likely not going to start posting until I'm sure exactly where I'm heading with this story, which, for now, is called Serious Matters. So if you're still interested in my work after reading this, I hope you'll give that one a chance in the future.**

**So anyways, thank you all VERY MUCH for reading this. Maybe I'll be able to entertain you all with more of my work sometime soon. (:**

**Sincerely (haha I know),  
Not-J.K.R.**


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